Saudi Gazette report

ATHENS — The Royal Saudi Naval Forces, alongside forces from Egypt, France and Cyprus, took part in a joint naval and air exercise in Greece, titled 'Medusa 13', which has just concluded. Rear Admiral Mansour Al-Juaid, Commander of the Western Fleet, attended the closing ceremony.

Conducted on the Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean, various scenarios and drills were carried out, including landing operations and live-fire exercises in the final day of the exercise.

Naval Commander Col. Fahd Al-Otaibi, at the helm of the exercise, said in a statement that the exercise consisted of two phases, one theoretical, with lectures, and one entailing hands-on operational activities covering military and civil-military operations, information operations, amphibious assaults, civilian evacuations, and protection of freedom of navigation.

Al-Otaibi said that the Saudi naval forces participated with various units, such as Special Naval Security Units, Marine Infantry, and Naval Aviation. These units demonstrated high professionalism and readiness in the course of the exercise, achieving positive results that highlighted the importance of continuous training and development.

He said that the exercise met all its objectives, including fostering alliances and security cooperation to bolster maritime security, executing joint combat missions with modern weaponry, coordinating among units to address non-traditional maritime threats, and sharing expertise to secure the theater of operations against potential risks.