RIYADH: A joint naval exercise in the Arabian Gulf involving the Royal Saudi Navy, US Navy and British minesweepers concluded on Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said. Brig.-Gen. Awad Al-Enezi, director of the exercise, said participating vessels executed a number of marine formations, as well as boarding and searching ships, floating mines and reconnaissance operations, port training and defense, drone operations and shooting air and surface enemy targets with live ammunition. The Naval Defender 21 exercise began last week at King Abdul Aziz Naval Base, the headquarters of the Eastern Fleet in the city of Jubail in the Eastern Province. #فيديو_الدفاع تمرين جوي مشترك بين #القوات_الجوية_الملكية_السعودية والقوات الجوية الأمريكية. pic.twitter.com/i4UEkQyvz9 — وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) January 28, 2021 Brig.-Gen. Al-Enezi praised the participants for their “professionalism and high readiness,” saying they emerged with “many positive results that reflect the importance of continuous training.” The mixed naval exercise included the participation of a number of ships, infantry, special maritime security units and naval aviation forces training in several maritime scenarios. The Naval Defender 21 is part of the joint military exercises conducted by the Saudi armed forces throughout the year with friendly countries, with the aim of raising combat efficiency, gaining more field experience and working to unify military concepts and terminology between the parties participating in the exercise.