THE concluding stage of the joint drill – Neon-Defender 23 – was conducted yesterday under the patronage of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Several branches of the BDF, the Interior Ministry’s Coast Guard, the National Guard and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (Navcent) participated in the joint exercise.
The BDF chief was welcomed on arrival by National Guard Commander General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, Defence Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Abdulla Al Nuaimi, and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dheyab bin Saqr Al Nuaimi.
Drill commander Commodore Adnan Hussain Saqr gave a briefing on the various stages of the joint exercise and Major Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa also gave a briefing about the closing stage of the drill.
The commander-in-chief was informed about the various stages of the exercise, and watched its final stage, which confirmed the high and advanced level of careful planning and professional implementation.
The drill achieved the forecast goals through co-operation and harmony among the forces participating in it, contributing to raising the level of military competence and improving combat readiness, within the framework of the existing programmes and plans to develop means of training, qualification and exchange of experiences.
The BDF chief asserted that thanks to the sound directives of His Majesty King Hamad, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the plans to upgrade combat and administrative readiness are on the right track at various BDF’s branches and units.
He expressed his pride in the level showcased by the BDF branches and units, the Interior Ministry, the National Guard and Navcent during the joint exercise, praising their determination to perform the tasks entrusted to them to the fullest.
He affirmed that the BDF always seeks to carry out such joint exercises, and is working to develop them and increase the base of participants, which will achieve the maximum benefit by opening up the horizons of science and operational knowledge and enriching, refining and developing experiences to accommodate all that is new and modern in the defence field and its requirements to build a highly efficient force capable of performing the tasks entrusted to it.
Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Public Security chief Lieutenant General Tariq Al Hassan, Deputy Chief of the US Mission David Brownstein, and Deputy Navcent Commander Brigadier Sean Bailey and other senior officers from the BDF, Interior Ministry and the National Guard, the Military Attaché at the US Embassy, as well as a number of military attachés of friendly countries attended.
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