U.S. naval forces accomplished participation in a weeklong Oman-led naval train in and off the coast of Oman, Might 11, with forces from France and the UK.
The five-day train, referred to as Khunjar Hadd, targeted on mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, maritime interdiction and different mixed naval operations. Personnel from a U.S. fifth Fleet expeditionary mine countermeasures unit participated with crewmembers from mine countermeasures ship USS Dextrous (MCM 13) and a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane.
“Coaching alongside the unimaginable forces of Oman’s Royal Navy has been a useful expertise for our plane, ships and divers,” stated United Kingdom Royal Navy Capt. Derek McKnight, deputy commander for Job Power 52, which oversees U.S. fifth Fleet’s mine countermeasures mission within the Center East. “I’ve little question that alternatives comparable to this improve our effectiveness and allow us to attain shared targets.”
The train aimed to strengthen relationships and improve interoperability amongst collaborating army forces. It started Might 7, the identical day U.S. fifth Fleet hosted Oman’s high naval commander on the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. fifth Fleet and Mixed Maritime Forces, hosted Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman Rear Adm. Saif bin Nasser bin Mohsin Al Rahbi and different senior Omani officers for discussions on strengthening regional maritime safety cooperation. Cooper later traveled to Oman and embarked Royal Navy of Oman patrol vessel RNOV Al Rahmani (Q41) to look at the train.
U.S. fifth Fleet’s space of operations encompasses roughly 2.5 million sq. miles of water space and contains the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Purple Sea, components of the Indian Ocean and three crucial choke factors on the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al Mandeb.
