POTD: The Mk 11 and Close-Quarters Combat In King Crab Competition

By Eric B
potd the mk 11 and close quarters combat in king crab competition

Every August, the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal community assembles for King Crab, a multi-day gauntlet that separates the elite from the merely excellent. This year's third iteration brought two-person teams from across the force to a California training site, where they faced a relentless cascade of challenges: underwater demolition tasks, threat assessment scenarios, long-range precision with the Mk 11, close-quarters handgun work, and the inevitable moment when a teammate goes down and the other must execute tactical combat casualty care under pressure. I’d love a shooting range like this, where distant mountains work as the backstop.

potd the mk 11 and close quarters combat in king crab competition

The Mk 11 MOD 0, adopted by SOCOM in 2000, embodies precision-platform thinking like we know of today: a 20-inch barrel, free-floating handguard, and quick-detachable suppressor mount built for operators who operate in silence when they need.

potd the mk 11 and close quarters combat in king crab competition

Photo credit: U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins