Mexican Navy and USCG conduct joint search and rescue exercise SAREX

The US Coast Guard (USCG) and the Mexican Navy have participated in a joint two-day search and rescue exercise, dubbed SAREX, off Ensenada, Mexico.

During the drill, which aligns with the US and Mexico Search and Rescue Treaty, the members of the USCG’s 11th Coast Guard District and the Mexican Navy’s Search and Rescue Station personnel participated in a six-scenario tabletop exercise.

Coast Guard and Mexican Navy representatives also presented three scenarios each and worked together to find the best course of action to solve the hypothetical situations.

The 11th Coast Guard District Chief of Incident Management Captain Arthur Snyder said, "The overall objective of the United States and Mexico Search and Rescue Exercise is to exercise the interoperability of the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican navy."

The participants identified strengths and gaps in their current procedures, while finding ways to streamline and improve SAR response coordination.

The 11th Coast Guard District commander Rear Admiral Karl Schultz said SAREX offered opportunity to further strengthen the professional, cultural, and social bonds between the 11th Coast Guard District and the Mexican navy’s Second Naval Region through the sharing of maritime search and rescue best practices.

"This joint international tabletop exercise is a strong example of the ongoing positive and cooperative engagements taking place between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican navy to enhance maritime safety," Schultz added.

The drill also included a flag officer professional exchange, presentations highlighting each country’s search and rescue capabilities, and a multiple-scenario tabletop exercise requiring joint coordination and response.

Image: Members of the 11th Coast Guard District aboard a Mexican Naval ship off Ensenada, Mexico. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard photo.