US, UAE, Bahrain and Israel: Joint Naval Exercise

15 Nov 2021 US, UAE, Bahrain and Israel: Joint Naval Exercise

Posted at 14:55h in Daily current-affairs by khyati khare 0 Comments

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Armies of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) launched a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the ‘Red Sea’.
It is the first publicly sanctioned naval exercise between the United States, Israel and two Gulf countries (UAE, Bahrain).

In the year 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized their diplomatic relations with Israel under the US-led Abrahamic Agreement brought together by shared concerns regarding Iran and hopes of economic gains.
The US Fifth Fleet/NAVCENT is based in Bahrain and operates in the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Analysts believe that since February 2021, Iran and Israel are engaged in a ‘shadow war’, under which both nations are attacking each other’s ships.
Negotiations between Iran and the major powers (P5+1) to revive the 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna on November 29, 2021, although regional tensions could escalate if these talks fail.
The objective of this five-day exercise held in the Red Sea is to increase the interactivity among the participating security forces.
This maritime cooperation helps protect freedom of navigation and free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability.
The exercise includes boarding, search and seizure training on board the USS Portland (a transport docked ship).

The Red Sea is close in Tropical Basin, bounded by Africa to the northeast, the Arabian Peninsula to the west and east.
This basin of long and narrow shape extends from the middle and north-west of the Mediterranean Sea and from the Indian Ocean to the south-east.
At the northern end it is separated from the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
At the southern end it is connected to the Gulf of Aden and the outer Indian Ocean by the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
It is surrounded by desert or semi-desert areas with no major fresh water flow.
6 border countries: Yemen, Saudi Arab, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea.