The Royal Saudi Naval Forces, alongside forces from Egypt, France and Cyprus, took part in a joint naval and air exercise in Greece, “Medusa 13”, which concluded Monday.

“Medusa-13” commenced on 13 October and is part of the growing partnerships and military cooperation between the Armed Forces of brotherly and friendly countries. Italy, Bahrain, Rwanda, Bulgaria, and Morocco participated in the exercise as observers.

Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, Commander of Saudi Arabia’s Western Fleet, attended the closing ceremony, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Conducted on the Greek island of Crete, in the Mediterranean theater, in the final day of the exercise various scenarios were carried out, including landing operations and live-fire exercises.

Colonel Naval Commander Fahd Al-Humaidi Al-Otaibi, at the helm of the exercise, issued a statement saying that the exercise consisted of two phases, one theoretical, with lectures, and one entailing hands-on operational activities covering military and civil-military operations, information operations, amphibious assaults, civilian evacuations, and protection of freedom of navigation.

Al-Otaibi said that the Saudi naval forces participated with various units, such as Special Naval Security Units, Marine Infantry, and Naval Aviation. These units demonstrated high professionalism and readiness in the course of the exercise, achieving positive results that highlighted the importance of continuous training and development.

He also said that the exercise met all its objectives, including fostering alliances and security cooperation to bolster maritime security, executing joint combat missions with modern weaponry, coordinating among units to address non-traditional maritime threats, and sharing expertise to secure the theater of operations against potential risks. (SPA; Photo © Saudi Ministry of Defense)