The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT have begun a bilateral amphibious exercise in Eilat, this past Monday (Nov. 1).
An American helicopter carrier docked at the port of Eilat together with hundreds of soldiers from the US Navy and the CENTCOM Marine Corps.
“The forces will participate in a two-week joint multi-arm training, during which forces of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, commando forces and assault exposure forces will practice open and urban combat methods,” the IDF said in a Hebrew-language statement via Twitter.
“There is. . .[an] exercise going on even as we speak, in Eilat with our navy and the US 5th Fleet from CENTCOM,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a tweet. “Whoever needs to get the message, will get it.”
אתמול עגנה בנמל אילת נושאת מסוקים אמריקאית יחד עם מאות חיילים מכוחות המשלוח הקדמיים וכוחות המארינס של CENTCOM.
התרגיל מובל על-ידי זרוע היבשה והינו חלק משיתוף הפעולה ההדוק בין צה״ל ל-CENTCOM >> pic.twitter.com/OwDuJkYJy5— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline)
The exercise includes military operations in urban terrain, infantry live-fire training, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire and rapid maneuvering training, as well as professional exchanges on various topics including engineering, medical and explosive ordinance disposal.
NAVCENT Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade is leading US participation in the three-week exercise, which comprises part of the next chapter in the long-standing Israeli relationship with the US Navy and Marine Corps, “that is so vital to stability and security in the region,” said Brig. Gen. Farrell Sullivan, commanding general of the task force.
Participating US forces include approximately 500 personnel from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, including one logistics battalion detachment, one infantry rifle company, a light armored reconnaissance company, and a HIMARS platoon.
American Muscle coming through! ?? ?
The offloads equipment from in Eilat, Israel, in support of Israel Interoperability Exercise 21.
Exercise details, here ➡️ https://t.co/CTVxQYmEum pic.twitter.com/uEutUT3IwP
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy)
The US 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab-al-Mandeb.
With the addition of Israeli Defense Forces, the region is now comprised of 21 countries.