New Zealand military joins international anti-mine exercise

New Zealand navy personnel have joined a United States-hosted international exercise to improve their capabilities against sea mines, the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) announced Wednesday. A 24-strong team from the NZDF Mine Countermeasures Task Unit would join Australian and British personnel on the United Kingdom Royal Fleet Auxilliary Ship RFA Cardigan Bay for the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (USNAVCENT) IMCMEX 12 exercise, said a statement from the NZDF. The exercise from Sept. 16 to 27 was being held at multiple locations in the USNAVCENT area of operations around the Arabian peninsula. More than 30 nations were participating in IMCMEX 12, making it one of the largest exercises of its type to be conducted. Participating in IMCMEX 12 demonstrated New Zealand's commitment to protecting vital international shipping routes, NZDF Maritime Component Commander, Commodore (CDRE) John Martin, said in the statement. "New Zealand is not immune from threats at sea, even far from our shores, which affect the safety of the sea lanes and impact on our trade," said Martin. "Mines can pose a threat to all maritime traffic. Therefore we must be prepared to conduct these sorts of maritime security operations under international maritime conventions, in order to ensure the safety of commercial shipping in international waters," he said. "Through our involvement in the exercise, we will be able to strengthen our relationships and foster interoperability with other Mine Countermeasures (MCM) forces, and further enhance our own capabilities."