Saudi Arabia, US hold military drill to boost readiness against threats of WMD

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi Arabia conducted a joint military exercise with the US to enhance readiness against threats of weapons of mass destruction.

According to a statement by the Saudi Defense Ministry, the army's Eastern Command in Dhahran conducted the Shield of Prevention 4, a joint military exercise involving the Saudi Armed Forces and the US Central Command.

The exercise saw participation of several Saudi armed forces' branches, the US Central Command, in addition to participation of several Saudi government agencies, it said.

The statement also said that the joint drill aimed at enhancing preparedness against weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Col. Turki Al-Sumairi, commander of the joint battalion participating in the exercise, said the field exercises were "conducted to test the readiness of national response plans to WMD threats, evaluate the effectiveness of communication and information exchange during the exercise."

The statement, however, didn't specify the date the exercise was conducted.

The third edition of the "Shield of Prevention" joint exercise was carried out in the kingdom in January 2022.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar