(Jane's-UK) Alon Ben-David - Israel and NATO conducted their first ever joint naval exercise in the Red Sea on 27 March, signaling a strengthening of relations. Six ships from the Standing NATO Response Force Mine Counter-Measures Group 2 (SNMCMG2), led by the Italian Artigliere-class frigate ITS Bersagliere and including German, Greek, Spanish, and Turkish minehunters as well as an Italian minesweeper, conducted a search-and-rescue exercise with Israeli Navy fast patrol boats. "We have conducted a very basic joint search-and-rescue exercise, which is similar to the maneuvers we conduct bi-annually with the U.S. and Turkish nav[ies]," said Lt.-Col. Yossi Shahaf, commander of the Red Sea arena
2005-05-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive