The crew of USS Patriot (MCM 7) concluded operations in the bi-lateral mine warfare exercise MINEX 2JA, July 28.
The exercise offered the opportunity for both the U. S. Navy and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) to execute mine Warfare operations in a littoral environment.
Additionally, the exercise flexed the cooperation of the three components of Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Aviation, Surface, and Underwater, in a series of precisely coordinated events and tasking.
Patriot, USS Warrior (MCM 10), and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM-14) Det. 2 represented Mine Countermeasures Squadron Seven as participants in the exercise.
This was Patriot’s third time involved in MINEX 2JA, and the first time the crew was tasked to sweep actual moored training mines. Patriot, along with two other JMSDF Minesweepers, successfully swept and hunted mine training shapes in conjunction with numerous units operating in close proximity.
Patriot is an Avenger class mine countermeasures ship forward deployed in Sasebo, Japan since 1994.
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Image: US Navy