RIYADH: The Royal Saudi Naval Forces recently concluded their participation in the International Maritime Exercise 2023, which was carried out in several regions, including the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, with the aim of boosting maritime security. The 18-day naval training event is the Middle East region’s largest maritime exercise, Saudi Press Agency reported. It was hosted by US Naval Forces Central Command at its 5th Fleet’s headquarters in Bahrain. The exercise gathered 7,000 participants from more than 50 countries, regional and international organizations, 30 artificial intelligence systems, unmanned systems and 35 marine vessels. It focused on combined command and control, maritime security, mine countermeasures, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence integration, as well as global health management. The exercise included several maritime scenarios in areas of operations in the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and East African coastal regions. The exercise’s five operational task forces were commanded by leaders from Bahrain, Jordan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the US. The Royal Saudi Naval Forces, which participated with removal units from the Special Maritime Security Forces, led the mine warfare group in the exercises held in Bahrain and Jordan. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper from US Naval Forces Central Command served as exercise commander, while officers from the UAE, France, Pakistan and Egypt served as deputy commander, vice commander, chief of staff and maritime operations center director, respectively.