From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Israel Navy hails ‘strategic partnership’ at conclusion of major US Navy exercise
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
The Israeli Navy wraps up its participation in the US Navy’s massive IMX exercise, in which dozens of countries took part, including some with whom Israel does not have formal ties.
This was Israel’s first time participating in the International Maritime Exercise, as it increasingly cooperates with the US military’s Central Command and its 5th Fleet, which operates in the waterways around the Middle East.
“The participation of the Navy in the American exercise demonstrates the strengthening connection between our fleets, based on power, mutual learning, and strategic partnership. We are coordinated and working together with our American partners to prevent terror in the maritime arena and to strengthen the security of the region’s waters,” Israeli Navy chief David Salama says in a statement.
The head of the US 5th Fleet, Admiral Brad Cooper, who in the past month has met with Salama, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, similarly hails the growing ties between the two navies.
“This joint exercise demonstrates our determination to protect international law and order. This is a special opportunity to expand our interoperability as we strengthen our naval ties,” Cooper says.
In the IMX exercise, the Israeli Navy says it trained with the 5th Fleet, simulating neutralizing naval mines, above- and under-water search-and-rescue operations, as well as conducting medical exercises at sea.
