The mixed naval exercise “Red Sea 8” concluded at King Faisal Naval Base in the Western Fleet, with the presence of the Chief of Naval Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghareebi, the Director General of the Border Guard, Major General Shaya bin Salem Al-Wadani, and several leaders of the participating countries’ forces.
The exercise, hosted by the naval forces, witnessed the participation of branches of the armed forces represented by the land and air forces, and the Ministry of Interior represented by units from the Border Guard, in addition to naval forces from several countries bordering the Red Sea, including Jordan, Egypt, Djibouti, Sudan, and Yemen.
The participating ships executed a series of naval maneuvers, which included training on anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, surface and aerial combat, in addition to live-fire exercises on surface and aerial targets, maritime security operations, and countering unmanned boats, with the participation of a group of naval boats and the use of the latest defense systems in live firing.
The exercise included the implementation of field scenarios in naval landing operations, urban combat, coastal defense, as well as reconnaissance operations and raids on coastal targets, counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, mine clearance, and dealing with suspicious objects, alongside live firing with light and medium weapons, and live firing by naval aviation aircraft of the type (MH60R) on surface targets.
The exercise director, Naval Brigadier General Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Anzi, confirmed that the exercise successfully achieved its objectives by enhancing the capabilities of the participating countries to deter any common regional threats and raising the level of coordination in the exchange of intelligence and security information that contributes to protecting regional maritime security.
He pointed out that the exercise contributed to unifying operational concepts and reinforcing the concept of joint action among the participating forces, which enhances their ability to deal with various maritime threats, and highlights the level of military cooperation and integration among the participating countries both regionally and internationally, emphasizing that the exercise increased combat readiness to carry out missions in environments simulating real combat conditions and to deal with irregular threats efficiently and professionally.
