ABU DHABI // The UAE’s elite forces are at the highest levels of readiness, say British naval commanders.
They commended the UAE forces on their preparedness and planning for six days of onshore and offshore exercises
“These are UAE-led exercises and our first goal has already been achieved. Our combined planning exercises with the UAE went very well and we will be conducting the next phase jointly commanding the task force,” said Commodore Paddy McAlpine, commanding officer of the UK Response Force Task Group Cougar 13.
Capt Andrew Burns, commanding officer of HMS Bulwark. who has been on seven deployments in the UAE in the past three years, said: “I have worked very closely with the UAE partners and we work really well together and the more we work the more we develop better.
“I’m expecting this exercise to build on the success on the previous Sea Khanjar exercise in 2011.”
Commodore McAlpine said that during this deployment the task group had engaged in exercises with a number of Mediterranean countries, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and Qatar in the Arabian Gulf.
“This year’s Cougar deployment has already operated in the Mediterranean and Red Sea and now has arrived in the Gulf. Cougar 13 involves exercising with Gulf partner nations in order that together we can safeguard our shared interests of maritime security and economic prosperity, and effectively cooperate on issues such as freedom of navigation in the region.”
Capt Burns said integration with GCC navies had been excellent and he described them as interoperable.
“These are all allies of the United Kingdom and we use similar tactics and procedures so they are all very much on par together because of that shared tradition and shared tactics that we’ve developed together,” he said.
He said that if GCC navies chose to deploy together they would easily operate with each other and find integration simple.
The British Task Group deployed at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi is part of the elite Royal Navy response force task group of nine vessels: HMS Bulwark, an amphibious assault landing platform dock ship, minesweeping ships, aircraft and submarines.
The exercises will be conducted from Thursday until October 9 across the UAE.
“We will be active offshore and on land. This gives the Royal Navy an excellent opportunity to test the full extent of our ability to undertake protection measures, air defence exercises and also for the Royal Marines to be able to exercise their amphibious capabilities,” Commodore McAlpine said.
The Royal Navy response force task group was established in 2011 and is based around a lead commando group to provide flexible ready and deployable rapid reaction force.
The Royal Navy will be conducting the exercises with the UAE Navy, the elite Presidential Guard and the Critical Infrastructure Protection Authority.
The Royal Marines will engage with their Emirati counterparts in an amphibious landing assault at Al Hamra base in the Western Region.
“They will engage in an urban warfare scenario with the participation of British and UAE helicopters and air defence teams,” Commodore McAlpine said.
amustafa@thenational.ae
