JEDDAH: The Red Wave 5 of the Western Fleet, implemented by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, has concluded off the Saudi Red Sea coast of Jeddah. Countries bordering the Red Sea, including Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti and Yemen, all participated in the joint naval exercise, which was also attended by observers from Somalia. The Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force and naval units of the Saudi Border Guards also took part in the exercise. Commander of the Western Fleet Rear Adm. Yahya bin Mohammed Al-Asiri, who led the drill, said that the Red Wave 5 maneuver witnessed the implementation of a number of combat trainings, including the clearance of fortified sites, intrusion and live fire shooting in support of combat aircraft and helicopters to carry out tactical tasks aiming to achieve the joint task principle. He said the drill is to enhance military cooperation, unify concepts, raise combat preparedness and exchange experience that would contribute to upgrading the security abilities to protect the seas and regional and international water passages and guarantee maritime navigation in the Red Sea. Last month, vessels from the First Training Squadron of the Indian Navy — INS Tir and INS Sujata along with Indian Coast Guard ship Sarathi — arrived at Jeddah port for a training exchange. The exercise comes amid growing defense ties between India and Saudi Arabia. Also in February this year, a Royal Saudi Naval Forces delegation took part in the “Milan 2022” multi-national exercise that saw delegations from 40 countries train on India’s eastern shore.