DF Commander-in-Chief attends Basic Liaison drill

Manama, Apr. 30. (BNA) – Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa attended here today part of the joint air drill, "Basic Liaison 2014", conducted by the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF) with the participation of the Saudi, UAE, Omani, Kuwaiti, Egyptian, American and British air forces, as well as the Pakistani and Turkish ones, as observers. BUpon arrival at the Isa Air Base, the BDF Commander-in-Chief was welcomed by RBAF Commander Air Vice-Marshal Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Assistant RBAF Commander Air Vice-Marshal Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa, Director of the "Basic Liaison" drill and heads of the participating delegations. He was briefed on the goals and phases of the joint air drill, the fighter jets taking part in its and means of commander and control. He also inspected a number of participating jets and attended part of the drill. The BDF Commander-in-Chief lauded the joint cooperation and coordination prevailing during the implementation of the joint exercise, stressing the importance of conducting such drills in order to gain field experience regarding planning air operations. He voiced pride in RBAF's affiliates honourable level and distinguished skills showcases during the exercise, noting that all BDF affiliates have always proved that they are the protective shields of the nation. He explained that the Basic Liaison drills are held, in line with BDF's keenness on upgrading the competence of its affiliates through training them on the latest military skills, in cooperation with armed forces from brotherly and friendly countries. He thanked the participants in the Basic Liaison Drill 2014 for their efforts and fruitful cooperation. Inspector-General Major-General Abdulla Hassan Al-Nuaimi and the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations major-General Dheyab Saqr Al-Nuaimi were also present. W H Q