His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, watched the final day of a military exercise titled ‘Homat Al Watan 2 (Protectors of the Nation)’, in Al Dhafra Region, UAE national news agency WAM reported.

Thousands of national services conscripts lined the ends of the desert paralleled by heavy armored vehicles as H.H. Sheikh Mohamed attended the conclusion of the military exercise, at the beginning of which he was received by Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces; Major General Sheikh Ahmed bin Tahnoon bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the National Service and Reserve; and a number of top brass.

His Highness was accompanied by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazroui, Secretary-General of the Executive Council; Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defense Affairs; and Major General Lt. General Juma Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falasi, Adviser to Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The training included a number of military drills performed by national service conscripts, including live shows of battle fields skills during which they used different types of munitions that translated the advanced level they notched.

During the exercise, members of the armed forces demonstrated field and combat skills and carried out a number of defense exercises using live ammunition and grenades.

The exercises were designed around various landscapes; some skills were demonstrated in mock residential areas while others were carried out by the sea - such as “Operation Defending the Sea Coast” which involved different Armed Forces units.

Sheikh Mohamed toured and reviewed the facilities of the Ground Forces Command and the weapons exhibition, where he was also briefed on the different kinds of weaponry that the national service recruits are trained to use.

During his visit, he praised the heroism of the country’s Armed Forces and commended them for their sacrifices. He affirmed that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is capable, thanks to the readiness of “our Armed Forces of dealing with different threats and hostilities.”

“To every family, every mother, every father, we thank you for your education which raises our heads with pride. I bear witness that you have birthed and raised the greatest heroes we have seen,” Sheikh Mohamed said.

“We are proud to see our youth uphold the highest military values and ably protect our nation. We have utmost confidence in their capabilities,” Sheikh Mohamed noted.

He added that members of the Armed Forces represent a role model for all the youth of the nation who learn from them the meaning of sacrifice for the nation and to keep its flag flying high at all times.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed added that the youth's interaction with the call of duty is the fruit of the legacy and noble values instilled by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

“We are proud of seeing the Emirati youth responding to the call of the country and defending the homeland, as they are ready to defend it while feeling proud of their identity and belongingness. They are equipped with the military knowledge and high operational capabilities. We are confident that they will add to the potential of our precious homeland,” he noted.

Sheikh Mohamed also expressed his pride at the acts of patriotism of the members of the UAE Armed Forces and their sacrifices in the battlefields.