RIYADH — The Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the Royal Navy of Oman are taking part in the joint naval exercise titled "Winds of Peace 2026," which kicked off in the Sultanate of Oman on Monday. This is part of the efforts to strengthen military cooperation between the two friendly neighboring countries. Rear Admiral Mohammed Al-Otaibi, commander of the exercise, said that the maneuvers aimed at exchanging expertise in the areas of maritime operations and security, unifying concepts in planning and execution, and supporting the role of naval forces in protecting and securing maritime shipping lanes and enhancing regional maritime security. Al-Otaibi explained that the exercise includes advanced operational scenarios simulating the nature of modern naval operations, with the participation of ten warships, helicopters, and two platoons of special naval security units, in addition to the Royal Air Force of Oman, which contributes to raising the operational readiness of the participating forces. He said that His Majesty's ships will conduct naval maneuvers in the Sea of Oman, while the special naval security units will conduct training at the Said bin Sultan Naval Base. The maneuvers include joint naval operations exercises, special forces drills, naval aviation training, and live-fire missile exercises. “The first phase of the exercise was conducted in April 2025 at the King Faisal Naval Base in the Western Fleet, during which training focused on planning and preparing for military missions, executing operational scenarios, testing plans, and measuring their effectiveness using advanced simulation systems,” he added.