The United States has officially kicked off the International Maritime Exercise 2019 (IMX 19), which involves 50 nations and will be held in the Persian Gulf and other strategic waters of the Middle East region.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

This year’s exercises, which began on Monday and are “hosted” by the US Naval Forces Central Command and the Navy's Fifth Fleet, will be the largest IMX held to date, according to Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, who commands both forces.

“This year’s iteration is the largest yet, expanding in size and geography; including all essential elements of maritime security operations,” said Malloy. “We’ve grown participation by about twenty nations, are covering an unprecedented amount of ground in the region, and our multinational team is taking part in more training scenarios than ever before.”

This year’s IMX is the sixth of its kind and involves four main phases: staff training, table-top and classroom exercises, fleet training exercise (FTX), and force redeployment.

A US Navy press release stated that the IMX 19 will be the “most dynamic” iteration yet, covering more than nearly 2.5 million square miles of waters in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The maritime exercise will feature operations at the three main regional choke points of the Suez Canal, the Bab-al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz.

The US Navy release noted that the IMX 19 will feature various air, surface and underwater mine countermeasure operations as well as harbor force protection scenarios using underwater drones.

The participants will also hold an infrastructure protection symposium and a search-and-seizure seminar in Manama, Bahrain.

The list of participants also includes seven international organizations as well as different civilian and maritime industry organizations.The United States has officially kicked off the International Maritime Exercise 2019 (IMX 19), which involves 50 nations and will be held in the Persian Gulf and other strategic waters of the Middle East region.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

This year’s exercises, which began on Monday and are “hosted” by the US Naval Forces Central Command and the Navy's Fifth Fleet, will be the largest IMX held to date, according to Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, who commands both forces.

“This year’s iteration is the largest yet, expanding in size and geography; including all essential elements of maritime security operations,” said Malloy. “We’ve grown participation by about twenty nations, are covering an unprecedented amount of ground in the region, and our multinational team is taking part in more training scenarios than ever before.”

This year’s IMX is the sixth of its kind and involves four main phases: staff training, table-top and classroom exercises, fleet training exercise (FTX), and force redeployment.

A US Navy press release stated that the IMX 19 will be the “most dynamic” iteration yet, covering more than nearly 2.5 million square miles of waters in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The maritime exercise will feature operations at the three main regional choke points of the Suez Canal, the Bab-al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz.

The US Navy release noted that the IMX 19 will feature various air, surface and underwater mine countermeasure operations as well as harbor force protection scenarios using underwater drones.

The participants will also hold an infrastructure protection symposium and a search-and-seizure seminar in Manama, Bahrain.

The list of participants also includes seven international organizations as well as different civilian and maritime industry organizations.