JEDDAH: The Saudi Armed Forces have concluded their participation in the Arab Shield 1 maneuvers that began on Nov. 5.
The three-week exercise, which also included forces from host nation Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, is one of a series undertaken by the Saudi military to strengthen military relations between Arab countries and improve the combat skills and readiness of their fighting forces.
Saudi troops, led by Commander of the Saudi Royal Land Forces Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mutair, took part in a number of key activities, including a seminar for senior officers at which Brig. Saeed Al-Qahtani gave a lecture about the challenges facing the Arab world from a military perspective.
A variety of joint field operations were carried out to simulate the elimination of armed terrorist positions in border villages, the securing of international borders and strategic communications using Land Forces, Special Forces and Marines, and to plan future operations and logistics support. Saudi air and naval forces, and a number of tanks, also took part in a number of specialized maneuvers.
“The participation of our armed forces in Arab Shield 1, along with some other brotherly Arab countries, comes in accordance to the directives of our wise leadership to continue and improve the military cooperation ... in order to unify the concepts and exchange experiences, which enhances our capabilities and combat readiness,” said Al-Mutair.
“The accuracy in the live shooting we saw at the end of the training reflects the good preparation in all areas of the exercise and of those in the participating forces.”
Al-Mutair thanked the Egyptian authorities for their work and the excellent preparation for the exercise and congratulated them for its success, and said he hoped to see similar collaborations in the future.
Brig. Abdullah bin Yousuf Al-Jaser, the military attache at the Kingdom’s embassy in Egypt, said that the participation of the Saudi forces in Arab Shield 1 had been effective in supporting and developing their armed capabilities and preparing military leaders to deal with challenges and fight terrorism.
Saudi Armed Forces hone combat skills during Arab Shield 1 military exercise
Saudi Armed Forces hone combat skills during Arab Shield 1 military exercise
- A variety of joint field operations were carried out to simulate the elimination of armed terrorist positions in border villages, the securing of international borders
Haramain high-speed train preparation for Ramadan
- 1.7m passengers expected during holy month
- 20 new trains bought for full delivery by 2031
RIYADH: The Haramain High-Speed Railway has been prepared to operate more than 3,662 trips for more than 1.7 million passengers this Ramadan, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
Saudi Arabia Railways said it has completed its operational preparations to increase the capacity for travel between Makkah and Madinah.
The SAR noted that the plan for this season includes more than 100 daily trips that would align with prayer times and the movement of Umrah pilgrims.
The company recently announced the purchase of 20 new trains from the Spanish company Talgo to further increase capacity, for delivery between 2028 and 2031.
The SAR stressed that the improvements are in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics.
The Haramain High-Speed Railway operates some of the world’s fastest passenger trains, which travel up to 300 kph.
It connects Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City along a 453-km railway line.
Construction began in 2009 and operations in 2018.
