Marine EOD techs team with robots in frigid Alaskan waters

Marine Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Veenhuizen and his 12-person explosive ordnance disposal team participated in Arctic Edge 2026, the Marine Corps' first direct support of subsea and seabed warfare under the tri-service maritime strategy. The exercise in Kodiak Island waters this month tested the Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization (LEON) program, which pairs underwater remotely operated vehicles—including beetle-like Fusion ROVs equipped with sonar and cameras—with EOD expertise to clear mines and ordnance in shallow coastal waters ahead of landing forces. The capability emerged from a 2022 Marine Corps realization that it needed organic ability to maneuver forces through archipelagos and contested littoral zones, with Alexander Gray, a former White House National Security Council chief of staff, emphasizing Russia as the short-term Arctic threat. Veenhuizen acknowledged the strain on his Marines, who must now master expensive robotic systems while maintaining diving and ordnance expertise, but stressed the modernization represents genuine 21st-century capability unavailable during his first Afghanistan deployment 15 years prior. The LEON program is expected to support naval objectives across all domains and potentially lead to a more credible integrated naval force.