Jerusalem, 11 November, 2021 (TPS) — Israeli, US, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahraini naval forces launched a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea on Wednesday, under the auspices of US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT).
The five-day exercise includes at-sea training aboard amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) focused on visit, board, search, and seizure tactics.
“The training will enhance interoperability between participating forces’ maritime interdiction teams,” NAVCENT stated.
“It is exciting to see US forces training with regional partners to enhance our collective maritime security capabilities,” said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces.
“Maritime collaboration helps safeguard freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability,” he explained.
The US 5th Fleet area of operations the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean, and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab-al-Mandeb, which is threatened from Yemen.
In September, the Israeli Navy held a joint exercise with the US Fifth Fleet for the first time in history.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is responsible for the Middle East, including Iran. The IDF was transferred to CENTCOM from EUCOM in January after the signing of the Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
