Aiming to strengthen maritime interoperability, the navies of Colombia and the United States carried out a new edition of the Diesel-Electric Submarine Initiative (DESI), focused on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. The activity was led by the U.S. Navy’s Patrol Squadron 10 (VP-10) “Red Lancers,” which deployed a P-8A Poseidon aircraft to Colombian territory to conduct joint missions with naval and air units of the Colombian Navy.
The twelve-day exercise included a series of missions involving submarine detection and tracking, anti-submarine patrols, evasive maneuvers, simulated attacks, as well as aeromedical evacuation and rescue operation training. Activities were carried out both on the surface and in underwater environments, in a demanding scenario designed to replicate realistic operational conditions and raise the readiness and responsiveness of the participating forces.
The U.S. contingent included the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, and the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21), all equipped for surveillance and anti-submarine warfare missions. On Colombia’s side, the deployment included the FS-1500 class frigate ARC Independiente (FM-54), the diesel-electric submarines ARC Tayrona (Type U209) and ARC Indomable (Type U206), as well as Bell 412 and SA365N Dauphin helicopters from the Caribbean Naval Air Group.
The DESI exercise, promoted by the U.S. Navy since the early 2000s, allows its units to train in scenarios involving diesel-electric submarines operated by regional navies. Colombia’s participation, which began in 2004, has been one of the most consistent within the program, enabling joint practice of tactics and procedures using advanced technological assets and contributing to the strengthening of regional cooperation in the undersea domain.
The latest edition of the exercise reaffirmed both forces’ commitment to maritime security in the region and highlighted the importance of maintaining cooperative instances that promote coordination and joint training in the face of increasingly complex operational scenarios.
*Image credits: U.S. Department of Defense
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