Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The “Sword of Peace 12,” the largest military maneuver of the Saudi Armed Forces, came to a close in the northern region on Sunday. On behalf of Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili graced the concluding ceremony.

More than 100,000 soldiers from various sectors and units of the armed forces, including branches of the armed forces, forces under the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of the National Guard, and the Presidency of State Security, in addition to a number of civilian and military agencies participated in the joint exercise.

Upon his arrival at the ceremony headquarters, Gen. Al-Ruwaili was received by the Head of the Armed Forces Operations Authority and Director of the Exercise Maj. Gen. Misfer Al-Ghanem, and Commander of the Northern Region and Commander of the Joint Duty Force in the exercise Maj. Gen. Khaled Al-Juhani.

Gen. Al-Ruwaili launched the start of the final joint drill of the armed forces, which included monitoring hostile movements that the military forces dealt with firmly and forcefully. This highlighted the combat readiness of the participating forces, and their ability to protect the security and sovereignty of the Kingdom from any external aggression, as well as to achieve internal security and stability.

Speaking on the occasion, Gen. Al-Ruwaili expressed his happiness and pride in the professionalism, coordination and active presence that he witnessed from all the wings of the armed forces participating in all stages of the exercise. He stressed the importance of continuous training and preparedness, and benefiting from the lessons of this exercise, in order to achieve readiness and preparation for the implementation of the upcoming exercise “Shumukh Tuwaiq 2”, which is considered as the most comprehensive exercise at the national level.

Gen. Al-Ruwaili congratulated the wise leadership on the occasion of the success of the joint exercise “Sword of Peace 12” maneuvers, pointing out that Saudi Arabia, with its forces and capabilities, is a peace-loving country, but it is ready to defend its sanctities, interests, security, and citizens whenever necessary. He highlighted the interest and constant follow-up of Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman in conducting such maneuvers, and his keenness to develop the capabilities of the armed forces, keep pace with military development according to the highest standards, and raise them to the highest levels. He thanked the participants in this major training exercise for their effective contribution to the stages of the exercise within their roles and duties in various plans.

The concluding ceremony of the joint exercise was attended by Commander of the Joint Forces Lt. Gen. Mutlaq Al-Azima, Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Lt. Gen. Fahd Al Ghufaili, Commander of the Strategic Missile Force Lt. Gen. Jarallah Al-Alawit, and Chief of Staff of the Land Forces Lt. Gen. Fahd Al-Mutair, Commander of the Air Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Mazyad Al-Amro, Commander of the Air Forces Lt. Gen. Prince Turki bin Bandar, and commanders of the military sectors and representatives of the ministries and agencies participating in the exercise