A mine is a weapon that is both easy and cheap to use. Any ship can in principle be used to lay mines which can pose a great danger to both civilian ships and warships. Mine clearance is therefore a very important tool to pave a safe way for ships in areas where mines are suspected.

During DANEX 08 mine clearance – or rather mine countermeasures (MCM) – is also on the programme with the Danish ships HDMS MAKRELEN and HDMS STØREN as well as the German ship FGS WEILHEIM operating off Djursland. The mine countermeasures operations are led by Commander Henrik Holck Rasmussen and his staff that during the DANEX exercise like the other staffs are placed on HDMS ESBERN SNARE.

For Henrik Holck Rasmussen and his people DANEX 08 is an important part of a training programme before they in the beginning of next year will take over command for one of NATO’s standing mine countermeasures forces, SNMCMG 1 (Standing NATO Response Force Mine Countermeasures Group 1). They will lead the force for a year.

Lieutenant Commander Peter Kirkegaard, the staff mine warfare officer, says: – In DANEX 08 we have given the ships a longer period where they can train their primary specialty, mine clearance. They train with advanced equipment against the exercise mines which have been layed.It creates a very realistic framework for training activities.

Peter Kirkegaard

According to Peter Kirkegaard especially the unexpected changes create challenges in the exercise. Both ships and their equipment can fail and the weather can play tricks but then its up to the staff to help:

– Of course we have to run the exercise but we are also a service function that must ensure that the ships and their crews get the most out of the exercise. And at the same time it is good training for us before we take over command over SNMCMG 1, explains Peter Kirkegaard. 

And even though the staff is busy getting everything together, Peter Kirkegaard is in no doubt about how things are going: – We are about half way through the exercise and have already achieved more than half of the goals we have set out. And chances are good for getting it all!