The Eastern Region Command of the Saudi Armed Forces, headquartered in Dhahran, has recently executed “Protection Shield 4,” a joint military exercise conducted in collaboration with the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM).

The exercise involved various branches of the Saudi military alongside representatives from civilian and military government agencies, including the Ministry of Defense’s health services, the General Directorate of Civil Defense, the Ministry of Health, and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Colonel Turki bin Salem Al-Sumairi, Commander of the mixed battalion participating in the exercise, highlighted the critical objectives of “Protection Shield 4.” These included enhancing the collective capabilities of all participants in confronting threats posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), fostering a unified approach to WMD response through shared concepts, procedures, and skills, and raising awareness of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards.

“Protection Shield 4” incorporated a series of rigorous field exercises designed to test the national response plans in the event of a WMD attack. The exercise also evaluated the effectiveness of information and report exchange between participating forces and facilitated the development of joint field response protocols. Simulated munitions were used to create a realistic environment for crisis management operations in a WMD scenario.

Healthcare personnel from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, the General Directorate of Civil Defense, and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority conducted a separate exercise focused on strengthening joint interoperability and response capabilities for chemical and biological incidents.