In its seventh year, the annual joint exercise saw interaction between Sailors of EOD Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 and members of the Indian Navy. The service members participated in a variety of training activities, including demolition exercises, helicopter operations and hostage threat simulations.
During a day of improvised explosives training April 21, EODMU 5 Sailors instructed Indian Sailors on the construction and effects of kicker charges, which utilize water to neutralize suspected hazardous devices and materials. EODMU 5 also taught their Indian counterparts the proper use of detonation cord, timed fuses and other explosive devices. The day ended with a show of explosive force, as EODMU 5 blew an automobile to smithereens using an improvised explosive device, an event that would not usually be seen outside of a war zone.
On the final day of hands-on training, an urban hostage situation was staged. Members of the Indian Navy boarded a helicopter, flew to the hostage site and rappelled from the chopper. Once at the hostage site, an Indian Navy EOD officer diffused a simulated bomb that was strapped to the chest of a hostage.
US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corwin Colbert