ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Navy vessels PNS Tippu Sultan, PNS Himmat and Maritime Security Ship Basool have participated in multi-national exercise “Gulf Shield-I” which was held in the Arabian Gulf.
The maritime component of the exercise was conducted in two phases. The first phase was conducted at harbour which included joint planning conferences, seminars on professional topics and informal interactions to enhance goodwill amongst the participating countries.
The second phase was conducted in Saudi Waters at Arabian Gulf which included various exercises related to Irregular Warfare, Coastal Defence, Air Defence and Search and Rescue at sea etc to enhance interoperability amongst the participating countries. Warships from Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Turkey, UAE and USA also took part in the Exercise.
A reception dinner was also hosted onboard PNS TIPPU SULTAN by Ambassador of Pakistan to KSA Vice Admiral (Retd) Khan Hasham Bin Saddique which received an overwhelming response due to participation of senior RSNF Officials including RSNF Eastern Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Fahad Ali AI-Furqan and officers/ men from participating countries of Exercise Gulf Shield-I.
Apart from sizeable participation of other armed forces of Pakistan, participation of Pakistan Navy with a large number of seagoing units with embarked helos, Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, special forces and Pak marines personnel is clear manifestation of Pakistan government's policy towards furthering bilateral relations with participating countries.
It also reflected PN's policy of collaborating at international level to strengthen maritime security and the shared objective of promoting peace in the region.
