MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Military officials and guests gathered at Courthouse Bay here June 10, to gain knowledge on the different types of mine countermeasure technology.
The Office of Naval Research held a Mine Warfare Day to provide information on the different types of mine warfare and the ONR’s mission.
Marines and sailors need to be able to clear mines from their operating areas - at sea, on the shore, and inland - without breaking stride. Organic mine countermeasures, which is the ability to detect, characterize and neutralize mines using a unit’s own assets, are vital to the Navy and Marine Corps’ doctrines “Forward…from the sea” and “Operational maneuver from the sea,” according to Dr. Douglas G. Todoroff, the acting division director for the Sensing and Systems Division, Ocean, Atmosphere and Space Department, ONR.
The different companies involved in helping to develop a future the mine warfare area were on hand to demonstrate their products and explain their contributions.
Some of the equipment showcased is already in use, while others are still being developed and further improved.
“The technology is unmanned, and it gets the Marines and sailors out of the minefields,” said Todoroff, discussing the different mine warfare vehicles. “They turn it from man-intensive to robot-intensive, and the vehicles are able to cover larger areas quicker, giving the Marines more opportunities.”