Muscat: Hamish Cowell, the UK Ambassador to the Sultanate, on Wednesday visited the Al Shumookh 2 war exercise site organised by the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF), the Ministry of Defence, other military, security civil agencies. Al Shumookh 2 will be followed by Al Saif Al Sareea 3 (Swift Sword 3) joint war exercise with the participation of Oman and UK armed forces. The UK Ambassador was received by Brigadier Mohammed bin Abdullah al Makhini, Head of the Planning Team for Al Shumookh 2 and Al Saif Al Sareea 3. The ambassador was briefed on the exercise.
Major General Matar bin Salim al Balushi, Commander of the Royal Army of Oman (RAO), received Major General Stuart Skeates, Commander of the British Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and his accompanying delegation, at Mu’askar Al Murtafa’a on Wednesday.
The meeting discussed preparations for Al Saif Al Sareea 3. The meeting was attended by Brigadier Salim bin Saif al Hosni, Director-General of Operations and Training at the RAO Command and the Military Attaché at the UK Embassy in Muscat.
Major General Stuart Skeates also called on Lt General Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) at Mu’askar Al Murtafa’a. The meeting discussed preparations for Al Saif Al Sareea 3.
Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis al Raisi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman, said the war exercises will ensure the readiness of RNO vessels.
Brigadier Hamad bin Rashid al Balushi, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Planning, said that this type of major exercise requires a large number of personnel and equipment to ensure that the exercise goes smoothly and efficiently.
Brigadier Mohammed bin Abdullah al Makhini, Head of the planning team for Al Shumookh 2 and Al Saif Al Sareea 3, said that the joint work has seen rapid development and relying on armed forces in managing conflicts requires involving other elements to benefit from their experiences.
Commodore Maktoum bin Salim al Mazrouei, Assistant SAF Chief of Staff for Joint Training and Exercises said SAF adopted a number of training plans and programmes to enhance SAF’s operational efficiency. He said Al Shumookh 2 and Al Saif Al Sareea 3 are of great national importance in the history of SAF as more than 70,000 people are taking part.
Moreover, involving many military, security, police and civil society organisations provides the opportunity to streamline all their capabilities under one system and joint command. This ensures enhancing the efficiency of SAF and other security and public organisations.
— ONA
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