Saudi naval forces begin exercises to protect oil installations

The five-day exercise is taking place at King Abdulaziz Naval Base in Jubail in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province, the Ministry of Defense said.

The “Confrontation 4” maneuvers include units from the Eastern Fleet, the Ministry of Interior represented by the Eastern Province Border Guards, the Presidency of State Security, and the Ministry of Energy represented by Saudi Aramco and Aramco Gulf Operations Company.

The exercise along the Arabian Gulf coast, aims to raise the “readiness and preparedness of all participating units to confront terrorist operations against oil installations,” the ministry said.

It will also improve the level of coordination and information exchange, and unify leadership and communication between the participating units.

Maj. Gen. Majid bin Hazza Al-Qahtani, commander of the Eastern Fleet, said the exercise would contribute to “achieving the security and safety of vital installations and oil fields.”

They would also help secure freedom of navigation in regional waters and shipping lanes in the Arabian Gulf.

RSNF also began a mixed exercise with their Sudanese counterparts at the King Faisal Naval Base in the Western Fleet, the ministry said.

The “Astronomy 4” exercises will continue until Thursday.

The exercises aim to develop the command and control process during joint operations between the two naval forces to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea, Brig. Gen. Hazza Al-Mutairi, the commander of the exercise, said.

Meanwhile, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) has concluded preparations to begin the ACES MEET 2021 exercise with their Pakistani counterpart.

The Pakistan Air Force is hosting a multinational exercise on March 27 at the PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha in Punjab province, The RSAF will participate with a number of modern Panavia Tornado combat aircraft and all its technical and support aircrews.