Six Arab Countries Conclude Joint Military Drills
The “Arab Shield-1” exercise involved ground, naval, air-defense and special forces from six Arab nations – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Morocco and Lebanon participated as observers
Dr. Shaul Shay
| 18/11/2018
Source: www.mod.gov.eg
Egypt hosted the joint “Arab Shield-1” drills that took place on November 3-16, 2018. The drills were organized at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base near the coastal city of Hamam in Matrouh Governorate. The Mohamed Naguib Military Base, opened last year, is Egypt's largest base with 72 training facilities, conference spaces and capacity to house a large force.
The drills involved ground, naval, air-defense and special forces from six Arab nations – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Morocco and Lebanon participated as observers. Most of the participant states have taken part in military exercises with Egypt before, most frequently on a bilateral basis. In October 2018, Egypt and Saudi Arabia conducted a joint military drill dubbed “Tabuk 4” in southern Egypt.
According to a communiqué released by Egyptian army spokesman, “Arab Shield 1” aimed to “develop and strengthen military cooperation between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the armed forces of brotherly Arab nations, and to develop joint Arab action in the framework of the challenges that face the region.”
The Egyptian military spokesman provided details of the drills: Ground troops, supported by Special Forces, carried out simulations of counter-terrorist raids and urban warfare while special marine forces engaged in visit, board, search, and seizure exercises.
The Special Forces that took part in the exercises performed a range of tasks to improve their camouflage and concealment techniques, exploiting features of the terrain.
Paratrooper units performed drills equipping and carrying personnel and dealing with emergency situations that could arise during high-altitude jumps in daytime and night-time, and under different weather conditions. The joint skydiving drills profiled the proficiency of the participant forces and their precision in reaching designated targets.
Air force training included planning and conducting joint aerial combat maneuvers which promoted the exchange of expertise between crews. In the course of the drills, multitask fighter jets performed various defensive sorties as well as offensive tactics against hostile targets.
The first stages
The first stages involved theoretical lectures supported by practical exercises intended to unify operational concepts and doctrines, in order to better coordinate the execution of assigned tasks.
The main phase of the exercise
The exercise witnessed the tactical use of live ammunition involving various army branches and combat forces. The exercise involved target practice by rocket launchers, tanks, and fighter-jets.
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces; Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad AL Mutair, Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces; and other top brass from Arab armed forces attended the conclusion of the main phase of the drills, on November 15, 2018.
Egypt's Army Chief of Staff, Farid, received a detailed explanation of the nature of the participating forces and the topographical nature of the area of the exercise. Farid praised the level of coordination and cooperation between the Arab forces participating in the exercise, which is considered one of the largest to involve the armies of Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia
Members of the Saudi Armed Forces arrived on October 31, 2018, at Egypt’s Gianaclis Air Base and Burj Al-Arab Base to take part in the exercise. The Saudi armed forces have participated with troops from land, air, and naval forces, conducting a number of activities including joint field operations to eliminate armed terrorist outposts on border villages, securing the international borderline, and strategic communications.
“Arab Shield 1” and the “Arab NATO”
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been lobbying the idea of a joint security force of Arab nations to counter Iran and take a more active role in the Middle East. This coalition will be formed partly under the name of the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), but it is also known as the “Arab NATO.” Bahrain’s foreign minister said at the IISS Manama Dialogue, the annual Middle East’s security summit, that the coalition would be formed by the start of the New Year (2019).
The idea came after an agreement in 2015 at the Arab League Summit in Cairo to create a joint Arab force that has yet to take shape. Some experts claim that the recent drills can be seen as a qualitative step in this direction.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the two key participants in the recent drills, would be the central poles of any such alliance, the two largest Arab forces in terms of the balance of military power as well as political influence.
Such an alliance need not originate as a unified or unanimously created an extension of the Arab League but could originate with a smaller group of states that have the will and capacity to build a collective security project.
Summary
Egypt hosted the first in a planned series of Arab military drills. The “Arab Shield-1” joint military exercises were the largest Arab multilateral military exercises to date. The drills come as part of the joint training plan carried out by the Egyptian Armed Forces with many other countries to develop military relations, face common challenges, and support efforts for security and stability in the region.
The drills aimed to strengthen interoperability between the participants, hone their skills in planning and managing combat activities on land, in the air, and at sea, and promote the exchange of expertise between the different air, naval and ground forces.
[Sources: Ahram Online, The National, Daily News Egypt, Sharjah 24, Asharq Al Awsat, Urdu Point]
The “Arab Shield-1” exercise involved ground, naval, air-defense and special forces from six Arab nations – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Morocco and Lebanon participated as observers
Source: www.mod.gov.eg
Egypt hosted the joint “Arab Shield-1” drills that took place on November 3-16, 2018. The drills were organized at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base near the coastal city of Hamam in Matrouh Governorate. The Mohamed Naguib Military Base, opened last year, is Egypt's largest base with 72 training facilities, conference spaces and capacity to house a large force.
The drills involved ground, naval, air-defense and special forces from six Arab nations – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Morocco and Lebanon participated as observers. Most of the participant states have taken part in military exercises with Egypt before, most frequently on a bilateral basis. In October 2018, Egypt and Saudi Arabia conducted a joint military drill dubbed “Tabuk 4” in southern Egypt.
According to a communiqué released by Egyptian army spokesman, “Arab Shield 1” aimed to “develop and strengthen military cooperation between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the armed forces of brotherly Arab nations, and to develop joint Arab action in the framework of the challenges that face the region.”
The Egyptian military spokesman provided details of the drills: Ground troops, supported by Special Forces, carried out simulations of counter-terrorist raids and urban warfare while special marine forces engaged in visit, board, search, and seizure exercises.
The Special Forces that took part in the exercises performed a range of tasks to improve their camouflage and concealment techniques, exploiting features of the terrain.
Paratrooper units performed drills equipping and carrying personnel and dealing with emergency situations that could arise during high-altitude jumps in daytime and night-time, and under different weather conditions. The joint skydiving drills profiled the proficiency of the participant forces and their precision in reaching designated targets.
Air force training included planning and conducting joint aerial combat maneuvers which promoted the exchange of expertise between crews. In the course of the drills, multitask fighter jets performed various defensive sorties as well as offensive tactics against hostile targets.
The first stages
The first stages involved theoretical lectures supported by practical exercises intended to unify operational concepts and doctrines, in order to better coordinate the execution of assigned tasks.
The main phase of the exercise
The exercise witnessed the tactical use of live ammunition involving various army branches and combat forces. The exercise involved target practice by rocket launchers, tanks, and fighter-jets.
Lt. Gen. Mohamed Farid, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces; Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad AL Mutair, Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces; and other top brass from Arab armed forces attended the conclusion of the main phase of the drills, on November 15, 2018.
Egypt's Army Chief of Staff, Farid, received a detailed explanation of the nature of the participating forces and the topographical nature of the area of the exercise. Farid praised the level of coordination and cooperation between the Arab forces participating in the exercise, which is considered one of the largest to involve the armies of Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia
Members of the Saudi Armed Forces arrived on October 31, 2018, at Egypt’s Gianaclis Air Base and Burj Al-Arab Base to take part in the exercise. The Saudi armed forces have participated with troops from land, air, and naval forces, conducting a number of activities including joint field operations to eliminate armed terrorist outposts on border villages, securing the international borderline, and strategic communications.
“Arab Shield 1” and the “Arab NATO”
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been lobbying the idea of a joint security force of Arab nations to counter Iran and take a more active role in the Middle East. This coalition will be formed partly under the name of the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), but it is also known as the “Arab NATO.” Bahrain’s foreign minister said at the IISS Manama Dialogue, the annual Middle East’s security summit, that the coalition would be formed by the start of the New Year (2019).
The idea came after an agreement in 2015 at the Arab League Summit in Cairo to create a joint Arab force that has yet to take shape. Some experts claim that the recent drills can be seen as a qualitative step in this direction.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the two key participants in the recent drills, would be the central poles of any such alliance, the two largest Arab forces in terms of the balance of military power as well as political influence.
Such an alliance need not originate as a unified or unanimously created an extension of the Arab League but could originate with a smaller group of states that have the will and capacity to build a collective security project.
Summary
Egypt hosted the first in a planned series of Arab military drills. The “Arab Shield-1” joint military exercises were the largest Arab multilateral military exercises to date. The drills come as part of the joint training plan carried out by the Egyptian Armed Forces with many other countries to develop military relations, face common challenges, and support efforts for security and stability in the region.
The drills aimed to strengthen interoperability between the participants, hone their skills in planning and managing combat activities on land, in the air, and at sea, and promote the exchange of expertise between the different air, naval and ground forces.
[Sources: Ahram Online, The National, Daily News Egypt, Sharjah 24, Asharq Al Awsat, Urdu Point]
