WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The defense forces of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have conducted large-scale exercise showcasing the three allied nations' combined logistics capabilities.
More than 600 U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen took part in the joint military exercise alongside their partner nation counterparts, according to the Pentagon.
Native Fury 24, spread across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, kicked off earlier this month.
This year marked the first time the exercise has featured bilateral operations with both the Royal Saudi Armed Forces and United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
The U.S. Marine Corps-led Native Fury 24 put combined, joint interoperability to the test through a series of complex logistics maneuvers, dynamic combat training evolutions, and convoys spanning more than 1,000 miles across two countries.
The exercise began earlier this month when equipment was offloaded at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port on the Red Sea. The equipment was then transported to a logistics staging area where it was prepared for the long-range convoy along the Trans-Arabian Network, a collection of seaports, airports and road networks connecting countries throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Along the way, the U.S. conducted bilateral live-fire and airport-repair training alongside the Royal Saudi Armed Forces at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, before conducting a border crossing into the UAE.
Once in the UAE, the U.S. and UAE forces conducted convoy training, as well as refueling operations on Emirati helicopters.
The convoy ended at the UAE Port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman where the equipment was loaded onto a vessel to transport it back to the U.S.
Marine Corps Col. Matthew Hakola, director of logistics for Marine Corps Forces Central Command and the exercise control group director for Native Fury 24, said the exercise serves as key demonstration of the United States' ability to carry out complex, combined, joint exercises with partner nations.
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