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U.S. Navy Completes Participation in Oman-led Naval Exercise
By NAVCENT Public Affairs
U.S. naval forces completed participation in a weeklong Oman-led naval exercise in and off the coast of Oman, May 11, with forces from France and the United Kingdom.
The five-day exercise, called Khunjar Hadd, focused on mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, maritime interdiction and other combined naval operations. Personnel from a U.S. 5th Fleet expeditionary mine countermeasures unit participated with crewmembers from mine countermeasures ship USS Dextrous (MCM 13) and a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
“Training alongside the incredible forces of Oman’s Royal Navy has been an invaluable experience for our aircraft, ships and divers,” said United Kingdom Royal Navy Capt. Derek
McKnight, deputy commander for Task Force 52, which oversees U.S. 5th Fleet’s mine countermeasures
NSA Bahrain Fire and Emergency Services Department Receives Official Accreditation
From Page 1 journey,” said NSA Bahrain Accreditation Manager Nathan Hollway. “We couldn’t have completed our self-assessment and obtain required information without the support from our Human Resources Department, Emergency Management Department, Naval Branch Health Clinic Bahrain and N6 IT Department. Special thanks to Human Resources Specialist Allison D'souza-Gomes, Emergency Management Specialist Jared Applefield, NMRTU Contracting Officer Representative Darren Taylor, and Field Service Engineer Robert L. Swafford for always being there when we knocked on their door with questions.”
NSA Bahrain Fire Department’s accreditation journey started in 2017 with former Fire Chief John Rodgers. Chief Rodger created the department’s community risk assessment – standard of cover document and strategic plan document which was essential in laying the foundation for accreditation success.
To complete the accreditation process, the fire department logged thousands of hours in preparing all requisite documents, to include addressing assessment-related inquiries and peer team review action items.
“I feel accomplished knowing the department now has the ‘Seal of Approval’,” said NSA Bahrain Assistant Accreditation Manager Joselito Asinas. “I feel proud to be an integral part of an organization that has been verified to not only have quality work, but a sound financial, operational and oversight practice. I am confident that the accreditation process will continue to push the department in its infancy stage to move forward and improve over the coming years.” mission in the Middle East. “I have no doubt that opportunities such as this increase our effectiveness and enable us to achieve shared objectives.”
There are 37 members who make up the NSA Bahrain Fire Department. The department responds to a wide range of emergencies to include structure fires, shipboard emergencies, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, and technical rescues.
The exercise aimed to strengthen relationships and enhance interoperability among participating military forces. It began May 7, the same day U.S.
5th Fleet hosted Oman’s top naval commander at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, hosted Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman Rear Adm. Saif bin Nasser bin Mohsin Al Rahbi and other senior Omani officials for discussions on strengthening regional maritime security cooperation. Cooper later traveled to Oman and embarked Royal Navy of Oman patrol vessel RNOV Al Rahmani (Q41) to observe the exercise.
U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations encompasses approximately 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, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al Mandeb.
