EODGRU 2 finishes Exercise Bold Alligator 2016

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 2 concluded participation in Exercise Bold Alligator 2016 (BA16) upon exercise completion Aug. 25.

Exercise Bold Alligator 2016 was an 11-day synthetic, scenario-based simulation exercise that began Aug. 15. The exercise scenario was based on joint forcible entry operations (JFEO) in a medium-threat environment and involved more than 30 Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard commands.

“Bold Alligator has been a great opportunity to hone our skills as a deployable task force headquarters and work with our counterparts at Expeditionary Strike Group 2 and 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade,” said Capt. John Moulton, commander of EODGRU 2.

Moulton and more than 30 EODGRU 2 personnel worked alongside staff augments and liaison officers from 22nd Naval Construction Regiment, Coastal Riverine Squadron 4, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion, and Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command personnel at a tactical operations center at Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic (EWTGLANT) as well as a forward element embarked aboard amphibious assault ship USS BATAAN (LHD 5) throughout the exercise.

First conducted in 2011, Exercise Bold Alligator is a joint amphibious warfare training exercise co-sponsored by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Marine Forces Command to revitalize and reinforce the Navy and Marine Corps’ traditional role as “fighters from the sea.”

EODGRU 2, headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLCFS), oversees all East Coast-based Navy EOD mobile units, including one forward-deployed mobile unit in Spain, as well as EOD Expeditionary Support Unit 2, EOD Training and Evaluation Unit 2, and the only East Coast-based mobile diving and salvage unit, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2.