From Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs
CTF 152 led an exercise in the Arabian Gulf designed to test regional responses to an emergency at sea which leads to a Search and Rescue event. October 13-14
The exercise consisted of two separate scenarios. First locating the survivors of a crashed light aircraft in the Northern Arabian Gulf, and then secondly locating the passengers of a sinking ferry in the Central Arabian Gulf. This exercise involved units from the Kuwaiti Navy, the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, the Royal Bahraini Navy, and the United States Coast Guard. This is a demonstration of how different nations and units across the region coordinate and communicate to ensure a quick response in the event of an emergency.
Whilst ship’s regularly practice recovering people from the water as part of their normal emergency response training, the aim of this exercise was to practice and improve communications between different naval forces at sea and Operations Centers ashore. This means that a coordinated search of a bigger area can be organized to maximize the chances of finding survivors who might have been in the water for some time.
Cdre Talal Alkandiri, the Commander of CTF 152, stated “This exercise highlights the need for cooperation between all of the nations that operate in the Arabian Gulf and the role that CMF can play in enabling this. I look forward to more exercises like this in the future and continuing to contribute to the safety and security of all those who operate in the area.”
This exercise formed part of CMF and CTF 152s ongoing efforts to promote the safety of life at sea and ensure that the Arabian Gulf remains a safe and secure environment. CTF 152 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest international naval partnership. CTF 152’s mission is to counter smuggling activities, disrupt activities that support terrorism using the maritime commons and to support legal fishing in the Arabian Gulf.
Combined Maritime Forces 