US Navy, Australian Army jointly train at Naval Base Guam

Sailors from the US Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 and members of the Australian Army have begun the biennial unit level training at US Naval Base Guam.

Pyrocrab, which kicked off on August 6, focuses on building closer relationships between the nations and enhancing the interoperability of their military units.

In addition, it helps foster tactical proficiency amongst nations that have strategic maritime interests in the Pacific, according to the US Navy.

“This is the third iteration of unit level training with the Australian forces. I am excited to see the improvement in the bilateral cooperation since our last opportunity to work together,” Cmdr. Michael Tollison, commanding officer of EODMU 5, commented.

Service members focused on mobility, survivability and specialist technical EOD capabilities.

“The biggest takeaway from this experience is really the integration between us and how close partners we actually are. We historically deploy as partners and it is essential that we train hard together when we can,” Australian Army Warrant Officer Class Two Chris Schaefer, said.

This training is expected to better prepare the US Navy and partner nation forces to be more versatile, and that, in turn, would make cooperation easier in various contingencies including disaster and humanitarian assistance missions.