On Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense stated in a statement that the Egyptian and Saudi naval forces started to conduct joint maritime exercises within Egypt’s territorial waters in the Red Sea, Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.
The statement affirmed that “the training aims to boost the skills and capabilities of the participating forces and exchange expertise between the two sides in a way that contributes to raising the combat efficiency of the naval forces of both countries.”
Code-named “Morgan-16” will include the carrying out of special operations for raiding a coastal target with live ammunition.
The training includes multiple theoretical lectures and training conferences, an exhibition for weapons and equipment used in the training, implementing practical training on marksman tactics for marine Special Forces on both sides using various small arms, as well as the implementation of an exercise raid on a coastal target with live ammunition, featuring the participation of snipers.
The training aims to hone the skills and capabilities of the participating forces and exchange experiences between the Egyptian and Saudi sides, in a way that contributes to raising the combat efficiency of the navy forces of both countries – alongside getting acquainted with the latest marine armament tactics.
“Morgan-16” comes as part a joint training plan for the Egyptian and Saudi armed forces with the aim of strengthening maritime security against regional threats.
Several Arab and African countries are participating in the exercise as observers.
It also aims at raising combat readiness, acquiring combat skills, and developing the ability to exercise command and control procedures for different units in the theater of operations.
The exercise also aims at strengthening cooperation between the Egyptian and Saudi naval forces and unifying operational concepts between the two sides to confront threats in the whole region.
Last September, Egyptian naval units also participated in the “Red Wave 2” drills in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) then reported. Naval forces from seven Red Sea countries took part in these drills, namely: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, and Somalia.
