EODMU 2

EODMU 2
Unit name	Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit TWO
Caption	Emblem of a United States Navy explosive ordnance disposal unit
Dates	1942–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Role	Explosive ordnance disposal, dive and salvage, maritime counterterrorism support
Garrison	Naval Base Catalina Island Annex (historical), Naval Base San Diego
Nickname	Mobile Unit Two
Notable commanders	Lieutenant Commander John V. Smith; Commander Thomas W. Riley

EODMU 2 is a United States Navy explosive ordnance disposal mobile unit established to provide expeditionary ordnance disposal, diving, and salvage expertise in support of naval, joint, and coalition operations. The unit has participated in major 20th- and 21st-century conflicts and contingencies, supporting operations across the Pacific, Indian, and Middle Eastern theaters. EODMU 2 integrates with units such as SEAL Team Six, United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, and allied naval forces to conduct counterterrorism, mine-countermeasure, and underwater salvage tasks.

History

EODMU 2 traces roots to World War II-era bomb disposal teams formed to respond to aerial bombing and maritime mines during the Pacific War and the Battle of the Atlantic. Postwar reorganization paralleled developments during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, when ordnance disposal capabilities expanded to address improvised explosive devices encountered in littoral and riverine environments. During the post-9/11 War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, the unit adapted tactics developed alongside United States Central Command and partnered coalition EOD elements from the Royal Navy and the Australian Defence Force. Cold War salvage and recovery missions linked the unit to events such as the recovery efforts after submarine incidents like those involving USS Thresher and USS Scorpion, while humanitarian responses brought collaboration with agencies involved in responses to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Mission and Role

The unit’s core mission aligns with expeditionary explosive ordnance disposal, maritime salvage, and support to special operations forces during crises and conflicts. It provides technical ordnance render-safe procedures, underwater mine-countermeasure activities, and improvised explosive device defeat techniques in coordination with commands including U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and United States Special Operations Command. In peacetime, the unit supports domestic agencies during port security incidents and works with international partners such as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy to strengthen regional maritime security architectures exemplified in multilateral exercises like RIMPAC.

Organization and Structure

Organizationally, the unit is a deployable component within Navy EOD Group structure, aligned under command elements similar to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group Two and reporting through echelon commands to theater commanders. Squadrons and platoons within the unit are organized to provide detachment-level deployable teams capable of supporting amphibious task forces, carrier strike groups such as those centered on USS Nimitz (CVN-68), and joint task forces. Liaison and coordination cells embed with units from Marine Expeditionary Unit, Carrier Strike Group 11, and allied formations, enabling interoperability with partner nations including Canada, United Kingdom, and New Zealand forces.

Operations and Deployments

EODMU 2 detachments have deployed to theater operations spanning the Indo-Pacific Command and Central Command areas of responsibility. Deployments have supported counter-IED efforts during the Iraq War stabilization phase, maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf near chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, and counter-piracy missions in coordination with multinational task forces such as Combined Task Force 151. Humanitarian and disaster relief missions have placed personnel alongside units responding after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and in support of Operation Tomodachi. Historical salvage missions have assisted recovery operations following collisions and sinkings involving naval vessels, requiring coordination with agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and service labs of the Naval Sea Systems Command.

Training and Qualifications

Personnel earn qualifications through pipeline training that includes basic EOD school curricula, diving certifications, and advanced render-safe procedural instruction. Training pathways mirror standards set by training commands such as Naval Station Great Lakes and institutions like the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. Joint training and exercises include interoperability with United States Army EOD School, NATO partners, and special operations training events such as Exercise Pacific Partnership and RIMPAC. Continuous professional development covers ordnance identification from World War II-era munitions to improvised explosive devices encountered in theaters like Afghanistan, as well as certifications in closed-circuit diving and hyperbaric medicine.

Equipment and Technology

Operational toolsets include underwater cutting and welding systems, remotely operated vehicles comparable to commercial ROVs used by NOAA and industrial salvage firms, and diagnostic tools for explosive detection employed alongside sensors developed by organizations like Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Protective suits, render-safe tooling, and diving rebreathers are standard, while explosive ordnance disposal robots and breaching systems provide remote intervention capability used in combined operations with platforms such as USS Boxer (LHD-4), unmanned surface vessels, and allied mine-countermeasure ships. Technical coordination often involves collaboration with Naval Sea Systems Command laboratories and industry partners in the defense sector.

Honors and Notable Personnel

The unit and its members have received commendations and unit awards for operations in combat and humanitarian settings, with individual decorations awarded to personnel for valor during ordnance disposal under fire. Notable personnel have included leaders who later served in joint commands and recipients of recognition from organizations like Navy League of the United States and service award boards. The unit’s operational legacy is reflected in its integration with historically significant naval campaigns and cooperation with entities such as United States Pacific Fleet, Allied Joint Force Command, and partner navies across multinational exercises.

Category:United States Navy units and formations Category:Explosive ordnance disposal units