RIYADH: The Red Wave-7 naval exercise has started at King Faisal Naval Base, home of the Western Fleet.
As well as the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, taking part are countries including Jordan, Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen, along with the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and units of the Saudi Border Guard.
The commander of the Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, said the drill aimed to enhance maritime security for countries bordering the Red Sea and protect territorial waters, according to Saudi Press Agency.
The drill includes a number of scenarios featuring exercises that offer significant training opportunities. There will be strategic lectures and simulated combat exercises designed to reflect potential real-world situations.
It will promote joint and combined operations, such as surface and air warfare, electronic warfare, and countering speedboat attacks. The forces will also conduct maritime security exercises, including protecting shipping lines and combating smuggling, terrorism, piracy and illegal immigration.
Al-Juaid said naval ships, helicopters, fast response boats, naval infantry, maritime special security forces and various types of combat aircraft would all be deployed over the duration of the drill.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US Marine Corps on Sunday launched a logistical exercise in the commercial port of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, the Kingdom’s defense ministry announced on Monday.
The Native Fury 24 exercise opened in the presence of the Commander of the Western Region, Maj. Gen. Ahmed bin Ali Al-Dabis, and a number of senior officers of the Saudi Armed Forces, as well as the Director of the US Central Command in the Kingdom, Brig. Gen. Richard Quirk, and several senior US Army officials.
“In its 8th iteration, NF24 will showcase US and partner forces engaging in on-load and off-load operations using commercial maritime shipping, long-distance convoys, urban combat training, and various dynamic training events in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
Commander of the exercise Brig. Gen. Oqab bin Awad Al-Mutairi, said that the drill, which will be carried out in several stages with the participation of a number of government agencies, aims to enhance coordination and partnership, exchange experiences between the two sides, and raise the training level in the use of military bases and road networks in the Kingdom.
The exercise will see units training on working with civil and military government agencies to implement such exercises, he added.
