U.S., Israel Begin Maritime Exercise in Red Sea

Naval forces from Israel and the United States began a four-day maritime exercise in the Red Sea, Aug. 1.

The exercise is a bilateral training event between U.S. 5th Fleet and Israeli naval forces that focuses on mission planning, maritime interdiction and other drills at sea.

U.S. Navy ships USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) and USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) are participating with Israeli Sa’ar-class ships INS Eilat and INS Keshet.

U.S. 5th Fleet is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain and includes maritime forces operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb.