Oman and UK to hold military exercise next year

Oman and UK to hold military exercise next year
The UK and Oman will hold their third joint military exercise in 2018, officials said, after a meeting between the two nations in London.
1 min read
17 May, 2017
Oman has previously held two major military exercises with the UK [AFP]

Oman will hold a joint military exercise with the UK next year after an agreement was made between officials from both nations in London on Tuesday, local media reported.

The joint military exercise dubbed "Swift Sword-3" will be held in 2018, officials confirmed, after Oman's Defence Minister Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib al-Busaidi met his UK counterpart Michael Fallon.

An official statement confirmed both countries were keen to enhance military cooperation and "serve the shared interests for both countries" through joint training and operational experiences.

"The two sides discussed the British-Omani Military Exercise al-Saif al-Sareea ("Swift Sword 3"), which will be carried out in the Sultanate in the last quarter of 2018," it added.

"Units from the Sultan's Armed Forces, the Royal Air Force of Oman and the Royal Navy of Oman and their similar units in the UK army will take part in the exercise."

Both nations previously held two military exercises - "Swift Sword 1" and "Swift Sword 2", the last of which was conducted in the last quarter of 2001 and involved the largest single deployment of UK forces since the Gulf War.