Participating nations' naval vessels take part in the joint military exercise “Medusa-14". Photo courtesy of Egyptian Armed forces.
The event was also attended by General Dimitrios Choupis, chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff; Lieutenant General Emmanouil Theodorou, commander of the Cypriot National Guard; Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, commander of the Royal Saudi Navy’s Western Fleet; commanders of Egypt’s main service branches; and several senior Egyptian and partner-nation officers as well as military attachés, media representatives, and students from military academies and institutes.
The exercise, held over several days, took place within the Mediterranean theatre, at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, and at several air bases in Egypt. It involved naval, air force, and special forces units from Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, and France.
The phase began with a presentation of activities carried out during earlier stages of the exercise.
Participating forces conducted visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations on a suspected vessel, search-and-rescue missions, and surface-threat defence, including surface artillery firing with various calibres.
They also carried out a hostile-shore assault by special forces using naval insertion and parachute drops, along with aerial strikes by multirole aircraft against pre-designated coastal targets.
Activities concluded with naval units performing formation sailing manoeuvres, followed by the paratroopers’ Friendship Jump, carrying the flags of the participating nations.
Despite adverse weather conditions, training was carried out efficiently, reflecting the readiness and professionalism of the forces.
At the end of the phase, General Saqr conveyed the greetings and appreciation of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, welcoming attendees to their “second home, Egypt.”
He emphasized that exercise Medusa is one of the most important joint drills conducted by the Egyptian Armed Forces with friendly nations, aimed at exchanging expertise and sharing the latest combat tactics among participants.
Commanders from the participating countries praised the forces for their outstanding performance during various combat missions and their ability to conduct joint operations with high professionalism and precision.
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