JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- U.S. Army divers, 7th Engineer Dive Detachment, 130th Theater Engineer Brigade, trained alongside U.S. Navy divers from U.S. Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One while conducting their culminating training scenario July 31, during Rim of the Pacific 2016.
Diving to depths of up to 70 feet below the ocean's surface, Soldiers and Sailors moved simulated debris aboard Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50).
"These last two days were the culminating exercise for the dive portion of RIMPAC," said U.S. Army Capt. Alessandro Licopoli, commander of the 7th Engineer Dive detachment. "This culminating exercise had them salvaging a heavy project. In this case, it was a 20-foot CONEX that's been altered to give the appearance of a patrol boat."
While exercise provided a chance for participants to practice diving techniques, Licopoli said the unique experience was its joint aspect.
"A large scale exercise like RIMPAC is a great opportunity for our divers to get a better sense and appreciation for the large scale and scope of military diving," Licopoli said. "We do what we do on the land, but it's also a great opportunity to see what our joint service brothers and sisters are doing in the open water and other applications. It really gives us an appreciation for how large our mission is globally."
U.S. Navy Diver 1st Class Todd Slayden, MDSU-1, said working with other services better prepares diving units for real-world missions.
"It's great integrating with other military, because you never know the mission at hand," Slayden said. "We can come into some situation where you need our support, we need your support, and it teaches us how to work together and get the job done. We all go to dive school together, so all of the fundamentals are there."
U.S. Army Spc. Theodore Archacki, 7th Engineer Dive Detachment, said the experience was eye opening.
"It's very cool to see how others operate," Archacki said. "You look at what they use, how they operate, what they have for equipment. It's just crazy to see that there are other ways to do things besides your own."
During RIMPAC, Army divers were also able to work with U.S. Coast Guard, Royal New Zealand Navy, and Royal Canadian Navy while conducting dive equipment familiarization and other practical exercises.
"I hope they can take away the knowledge that they are in a very specialized, highly skilled field that spans not just the Army but the Navy and the Coast Guard as well and that they are a part of a tight-knit community," Licopoli said.
Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
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