Ukrainian forces are being trained by Royal Navy divers and explosives experts on the safe neutralisation of Russian mines, booby traps, and other explosive devices.
This extensive training is being conducted in Scotland, aimed at ensuring the safety of Ukrainian citizens and the commercial shipping industry once the conflict ends.
The Royal Navy’s experts are particularly adept in handling explosive threats on land and at sea, owing to their substantial field experience in Afghanistan and as part of the UK’s renowned mine warfare forces.
Specialist personnel from the Royal Navy’s Diving and Threat Exploitation Group (DTXG) utilised the remote waters of Loch Ewe in north-west Scotland to transfer their specialist knowledge to Ukrainian Navy divers and personnel involved with uncrewed underwater vehicles, as well as Ukrainian explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operators.
Training was delivered by sailors from Delta Diving Unit 1 and DTXG’s Operational Support Squadron. The process was completed in cooperation with NATO allies, including the United States, France, Belgium, and Georgia.
The focus was on enhancing the knowledge and skills of the Ukrainian Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures team, preparing them for future operations.
The training modules covered an extensive range of operations, from clearing deep water shipping lanes to ensuring the safety of shallow waters and beaches for amphibious raids. It also focused on neutralising threats in ports, jetties, and other infrastructural elements, all of which are potential targets.
How many divers are being trained? 🤔
Hopefully enough to include an attritional reserve, as this strikes me as a somewhat hazardous activity!😱
Joking aside, it looks very demanding, good luck to them.
I didn’t even consider this part of the training for the Ukrainians. I wonder what other niche areas we are training the Ukrainian lads and lasses?
Ukraine citizens need to ask themselves a question. What can the West give us that Russia can’t? Presently it seems nothing?
A life free of Genocide seems like a good starting point.
Washing machines and flushing toilets a close second.
Off the top of my head…… Freedom, rule of law, prosperity, health. And an overarching benefit of not being Russian.
Spot on.
More chuff!
Let’s hope it isn’t the “condensed “ training version that the tank crews, infantry and so called pilot training got from the MOD .
🏴🇬🇧
They are using pretty standard scuba sets in the photo which would be the ideal thing for technique training with an instructor sitting down there next to you. It starts getting interesting if they are being taught on rebreathers that use gas mixes. Depending on the type of mix you can go down very deep, hundreds of feet and stay there for a considerable time, hours. You will still need to do stops though coming back up. CDLSE, Clearance Diver Life Support Equipment made by DIVEX is the pussers rebreather for MCM. Can take tri mix has electronic control and… Read more »
“Bubbleheads love their dive watches!”
To be fair real life is in four dimensions, space and time, especially with gas supply & permeability concerns…
On wrist dive computers are the way ahead and that’s what the RN uses The RN ones are V Good.
My personal dive computer is good enough for sports diving. If you are going with gas mixes a rolex/omega and a laminated bit of card with a wheel and china graph isn’t going to cut it. That said if it all goes wrong and the battery goes …its probably all you will have!
Let’s hope RN is getting information on maritime UAV in return. We may not need to build them rather defence against them in gulf and other places where bad people lurk..
#FONOPS