BDF Commander-in-Chief attends Union18 Naval Drill conclusion

Manama, Mar. 16 (BNA): The BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa on Wednesday attended the conclusive phase of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) "Union18" Tactical Naval Drill implemented by the BDF Royal Navy Force alongside with brotherly naval forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-member countries. The Commander-in-Chief was received upon arrival by Commodore Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdullah Al Khalifa the Commander of Bahrain Royal Naval Force and senior BDF officers. Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed inspected several warships and forces participating in the exercises and was briefed on the various stages and goals of the drill. He closely scrutinized the operation's command-and-control systems. He pointed out that the drill comes as part of ongoing joint cooperation between Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) and GCC countries. He stressed the importance of such joint exercises and their effective role in boosting combat efficiency and tactical and operational capabilities through the exchange of expertise and field skills between the participating forces in the drill, including all areas of combat operations and boosting combat readiness to confront various situations and challenges in battlefields. He expressed his pride in the spirit of mutual cooperation and coordination between the BDF and brotherly GCC forces throughout the stages of drill implementation, affirming the significance of conducting such joint naval exercises to gain more field experience and the capacity for planning naval operations in cooperation with the brethren and to hone and develop the expertise to meet the requirements of joint military cooperation in view of the important and effective role of boosting military capability and combat readiness through the exchange of experience, expertise and skills with brotherly military forces. The Commander-in-Chief reasserted the BDF's constant keenness on continuously boosting the level of all of its affiliated officers and personnel, training them optimally as per latest military basics and techniques. He added that the BDF attaches special importance to joint military exercises and therefore sought to implement and develop them which also applies to this naval exercise aimed to achieve maximum benefit by opening the vistas of science, knowledge in the military and the navy and enrichment of expertise, honing and boosting them to acquire latest modern developments in this field in addition to innovation of various techniques of maritime combat and its requirements of building a highly efficient capable naval force to carry out its duty courageously, meritoriously and efficiently. The Field Marshal was accompanied during his visit by the Inspector-General Major-General Abdullah Hassan Al Nuaimi, Naval Major-General Yousef Ahmed Mal-Allah the Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Logistics and Supplies and a number of senior BDF officers.