The United States Navy is leading the largest maritime exercise in the Middle East with 30 countries participating in the event.
The International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) aims to protect international trade routes against possible threats posed by terrorist groups like Daesh and al-Qaeda, according to US officials.
According to Press TV, the exercise was organized by US Naval Forces Central Command and began Monday in Bahrain, home to the US 5th Fleet.
On Saturday, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan highlighted the importance of the exercise in protecting shipping routes, saying, “We know that they want to disturb trade lines”.
“This region provides a strong training opportunity for nations worldwide as three of the six major maritime chokepoints in the world are here: the Suez Canal, the Strait of Bab Al Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz,” Donegan said.
The IMCMEX, which ends on April 26, focuses on operations such as mine countermeasures, infrastructure protection, and maritime security operations to protect civilian shipping.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the
copyright owner.
