Royal Bahrain Naval Pressure ship RBNS Ahmed Al-Fateh (P20) and U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Baranof (WPB 1318) participated in train Sentinel Defend with a Saildrone Explorer unmanned floor vessel from U.S. fifth Fleet.
Sentinel Defend is a month-to-month train sequence organized by the Worldwide Maritime Safety Assemble (IMSC) to reinforce communication and coordination amongst associate naval forces. This month’s iteration was the primary designed to combine unmanned techniques.
“The continued interoperability and coordination of U.S. and Bahraini naval property are essential to stability within the Arabian Gulf,” mentioned Lt. Vaughn Gehman, commanding officer of Baranof. “Integration of unmanned techniques is a force-multiplier for IMSC and its means to detect and deter malign exercise.”
IMSC was shaped in July 2019 in response to elevated threats to freedom of navigation for service provider mariners transiting worldwide waters within the Center East. Coalition Activity Pressure (CTF) Sentinel was established 4 months later to discourage state-sponsored malign exercise and reassure the service provider transport trade within the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz.
The coalition is headquartered in Bahrain below U.S. fifth Fleet and consists of forces from Albania, Bahrain, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.
“I used to be delighted to see our host nation collaborating on this month’s train, and particularly happy to once more see Bahrain main the best way in unmanned techniques integration,” mentioned British Royal Navy Commodore Ben Aldous, commander of IMSC and CTF Sentinel.
In October, Bahrain was the primary nation U.S. fifth Fleet partnered with after establishing a brand new unmanned techniques and synthetic intelligence job power. Throughout a two-day coaching train, U.S. patrol craft and Bahrain Protection Pressure maritime property sailed alongside Mantas T-12 unmanned floor vessels within the Arabian Gulf, marking the primary time the platforms operated in regional waters.
“Incorporating unmanned techniques into Sentinel Defend permits the coalition to plan for the longer term by creating and exercising ideas of employment that the majority successfully make the most of this new know-how to profit the Sentinel mission and strengthen our coalition,” mentioned Aldous.
