CTF-73 participates in SALVEX Korea 2026

20 May 2026

From Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings

JINHAE NAVAL BASE, Republic of Korea -- U.S. Navy divers, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, concluded Salvage Exercise (SALVEX) Korea 2026 alongside Australian maritime forces and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces at Jinhae Naval Base, April 6–10, 2026. The exercise marked the 42nd iteration of the long-standing multilateral training event, reinforcing decades of cooperation between the U.S. Navy and ROK Navy since its inception in 1985.

Download

U.S. Navy Diver 3rd Class Mark Obymachow assigned to Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 participates in an integrated multinational dive to recover a simulated sunken vessel during Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 at Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, April 8, 2026. Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 sustains the U.S. Navy’s maritime forces and is responsible for all diving and salvage operations in the Western Pacific in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

SALVEX Korea 2026 brought together members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Clearance Diving Team 1, ROK Coast Guard Special Rescue Unit, ROK Navy Ship Salvage and Rescue Unit, and U.S. Navy MDSU-1 to enhance interoperability and strengthen combined readiness for diving, salvage, and maritime response operations across the Indo-Pacific.

“It’s almost seamless—we’re able to pick up exactly what our partners are doing despite the language barrier because we work to standardize best practices and procedures,” said U.S. Navy Diver 1st Class Benjamin Guerra, assigned to MDSU-1.

Throughout the week, participating units conducted integrated training events including underwater search and recovery, salvage operations, remotely operated vehicle integration, and mixed-gas and surface-supplied diving evolutions. Divers also executed port clearance scenarios, simulated missing persons searches, deep-water diving operations, and controlled sonar-assisted recovery drills, reinforcing their ability to operate across multiple mission sets ranging from maritime contingencies to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

U.S. Navy Diver 1st Class Benji Guerra assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 tests a handheld sonar-based diver navigation and tracking system before participating in an integrated multinational dive to locate a simulated sunken vessel during Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 at Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, April 7, 2026. Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 sustains the U.S. Navy’s maritime forces and is responsible for all diving and salvage operations in the Western Pacific in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

Members of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Coast Guard Special Rescue Unit, U.S. Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, Australian Clearance Diving Team 1, and the ROK Ship Salvage and Rescue Unit, meet for Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 at Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, April 6, 2026. Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 sustains the U.S. Navy’s maritime forces and is responsible for all diving and salvage operations in the Western Pacific in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

U.S. Navy Diver 1st Class Benjamin Guerra, assigned to Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, climbs into a rigid-hulled inflatable boat after locating a simulated sunken vessel during Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 at Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, April 7, 2026. Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 sustains the U.S. Navy’s maritime forces and is responsible for all diving and salvage operations in the Western Pacific in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

U.S. Navy Diver 3rd Class Mark Obymachow, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, stands by to submerge with a Republic of Korea Navy diver to locate a simulated sunken vessel during Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 at Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, April 7, 2026. Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 sustains the U.S. Navy’s maritime forces and is responsible for all diving and salvage operations in the Western Pacific in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

SALVEX Korea strengthens the participating countries' alliance by enabling forces to exchange expertise and refine procedures that ensure readiness for real-world operations across the Indo-Pacific. In a change from the 2025 iteration, RAN joined the U.S. Navy and ROK to turn the exercise into a trilateral engagement to further fortify the alliances and partnerships supporting regional stability.

Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 provides expeditionary logistics and diving and salvage capabilities to the U.S. 7th Fleet, enabling sustained maritime operations and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.