His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of Bahrain Defense Force (BDF), visited the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
Upon arrival, he was received by Lieutenant General Abdullah Bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, Minister for Defense Affairs, General Dhiyab Bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, Chief-of-Staff, as well as the Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force and a number of senior officers, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
Also present were Justin Hicks Siberell, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Vice Admiral James Malloy, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and Commodore Dean Basset, United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.
His Majesty the King commended the efforts of the brave personnel of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force in carrying out their noble duty, alongside their courageous brothers from the Bahrain Defense Force, to defend their country and its civilizational gains. His Majesty praised their important participation in guaranteeing the freedom of international maritime navigation and combatting piracy in the region, expressing appreciation for the fruitful efforts of the Commander and personnel of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
His Majesty also met a number of officers from the Bahrain Defense Force, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the U.S. Naval Support Activity, and the UK Maritime Component Command. On this occasion, His Majesty delivered a speech, saying:
“It is a pleasure at the outset to welcome our guests, His Excellency the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Commander of U.S. NAVCENT, U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; and we welcome the Royal Navy UKMCC Commander, Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.
“We also welcome our brothers from the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, for they are today at home in Bahrain, and we appreciate the continuous friendship and support of their leaders and peoples under all circumstances and at all times.
“We are pleased to express to you, on this special occasion, our appreciation for our ongoing cooperation, which builds on decades of joint action, based on deep-rooted relations and disciplined coordination, in military, security, political, economic, and other fields. This demonstrates the sincere combined effort we have made together to achieve significant results, an effort which unites us today to continue to pursue further prosperity for all our countries.
“We are witnessing continued success in the coordination and cooperation initiatives between us, which reaffirms our sound security and defense directions, and is a source of satisfaction and pride in the vital and constructive role of our forces working together to enhance our security and defend our interests.
“We also find in these efforts an honorable example of responsibility and professionalism in carrying out all tasks with determination and dedication. The most important of these is the duty to preserve the safety of maritime navigation and secure international corridors for trade and energy, the protection of which is a responsibility we all bear out of our duty to the stability of the region and the world as a whole.”
King Hamad then visited the Naval Support Activity headquarters in Bahrain, where he was received by Vice Admiral James Malloy, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and Ambassador Siberell, Ambassador.
He expressed appreciation to the Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Ambassador for this kind invitation, affirming that the strong relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States is critical to regional maritime security and the free flow of commerce.
