A Royal Navy pilot on exchange with the US Coast Guard has been honoured at the White House for his role in two major drug interdictions, say the Royal Navy here.
Lieutenant Commander David “Bob” Fleming has served with the US Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Squadron (HITRON) since 2022, becoming the first Royal Navy pilot to fly with the unit.
His actions during a March 2024 operation, which saw more than 3,200kg of cocaine seized with an estimated street value of $99 million, earned him recognition at the US Interdiction Coordinator Awards Ceremony.
“We were invited to the executive side of the White House and it was very special,” Fleming said. “It’s amazing with the history of the White House so although I didn’t see the Oval Office, it was still special.”
The awards, presented by Special Advisor Sarah Carter and US Interdiction Coordinator Shannon Kelly, acknowledged Fleming’s part in a high-risk mission launched from US Coast Guard Cutter Munro. The operation relied on coordination between surface vessels, uncrewed drones, and Fleming’s MH-65E Dolphin helicopter.
“We managed to stop two in a very short space of time and distance and that’s where they recognised the professionalism from the boat and the teams on board the helicopter,” Fleming explained. “So it’s not just me, it’s the entire team that were honoured for getting this operation done in challenging circumstances.”
The citation highlighted the complexity of the mission and the resistance from traffickers. “The courage, experience and operational skill of HIT 24-10 and the USCG cutter Munro thwarts these experienced narco-traffickers, despite their knowledge of counter-drug tactics. Their efforts resulted in the interdiction of 3,274kg of cocaine worth $99m in street value.”
Fleming described how the helicopter had to be pushed to its limits during the chase. “The drug boats were a bit more experienced than usual so we were really having to push the Dolphin helicopter to its limits. And in fact, we ended up flying backwards at one point to take some shots at the engines.”
Since joining HITRON, Fleming has deployed six times and participated in 18 at-sea interdictions, contributing to the seizure of over $1 billion worth of drugs. He joined the Royal Navy in 2002 after time in the RAF Reserves, flying Lynx and later Wildcat helicopters before his current posting.
He is due to return to the UK next year after completing his exchange tour with the US Coast Guard.
That’s an interesting building. Well done to him.