JEDDAH: “Shield of Prevention 2” — a joint military exercise between Saudi Arabia and America — ended on Wednesday at Prince Sultan Air Base with a ceremony attended by Chief of Armed Forces Operations Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Abdulkhaliq Al-Ghamdi. Al-Ghamdi praised the participation of US forces, extending his thanks and appreciation to all participants for their efforts and excellence in conducting this exercise and achieving its desired goals. The general supervisor of the exercise, Maj. Gen. Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Shiblan explained that “Shield of Prevention 2” involved several seminars and lectures, as well as field exercises, focusing on how to combat weapons of mass destruction and deal with their aftermath. The commander of the exercise, Col. Abdul Aziz bin Nasser Al-Jowair, said that the training covered a number of areas, including warning, evacuation, sampling procedures, explosive disposal and medical treatment. “Shield of Prevention 2” was part of the Ministry of Defense’s annual training of the armed forces, one of the goals of which is to strengthen cooperation with friendly forces and with participants from other Saudi Arabian government sectors. Meanwhile, a joint 12-day military exercise between the Saudi Royal Land Forces and the Sudanese Land Forces — “Al Hazem 1” — also concluded this week in a ceremony attended by the Commander of the Northern Region, Maj. Gen. Saleh bin Ahmad Al-Zahrani, acting on behalf of the commander of the Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Mutair. The major general said that “Al-Hazen 1” was a valuable start to positive cooperation between the two armies, adding that it would benefit them both greatly and improve the exchange of knowledge and experience between them. The ceremony was also attended by the assistant commander of the Northern Region for Operational Affairs, Maj. Gen. Khalid bin Abdul Aziz Al-Shahrani.