MANAMA, Bahrain (Dec. 22, 2025) The Royal Navy hosted a mine countermeasures conference at the U.K. Naval Support Facility in Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 15.

Royal Navy Commodore Ben Aldous, Commander, U.K. Maritime Component Command and deputy commander, Combined Maritime Forces, made opening remarks at the conference and emphasized the critical importance of continued interoperability, shared success and mutual trust among those in attendance.

Attendees included personnel from the Royal Navy Mine & Threat Exploitation Group, Mine Warfare Battle Staff, the Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel HMS Middleton (M-34), as well as liaison officers from the Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal Australian Navy. Additionally, personnel from U.S. mine warfare units, like expeditionary mine countermeasures and explosive ordnance disposal units, and Sailors from the Independence-class littoral combat ships USS Canberra (LCS-30) and USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) were in attendance.

Units that provided briefings spoke about their successes, challenges and future opportunities. The presentations sparked discussions and created an opportunity for collaboration among the key players in the local MCM community. Key topics of discussion were advancing squadron autonomy, the integration of the Mine & Threat Exploitation Group, and the development of the littoral combat ship mission package.