HM King deputizes National Guard Commander at ceremony marking its 24th anniversary

Manama, Jan. 7 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, has deputized the National Guard Commander General His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, to attend the ceremony concluding "Al Bader 5", a joint exercise between the National Guard and the Pakistani Army. The event that coincided with the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the National Guard was attended by the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Commander-in-Chief Field Marshall Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and senior security officers. In his statement on the occasion, HH Shaikh Mohammed affirmed that the steady support of HM the King, the Supreme Commander, to the National Guard is part of the attention accorded to the security services as His Majesty always strives to upgrade the defense and security aptitudes into a model force to be emulated in the region. Al Bader maneuvers have reflected the high levels and precision in carrying out counter-terrorism operations by members of the National Guard and their brothers from the Pakistani Army participating in the exercise through the application of military operations in various environments and terrains, and in dealing with terrorist threats in several joint military and security field situations, he added. His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Muhammad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Commander of the Special Operations Unit, congratulated the National Guard on its anniversary, stressing that it was gaining in stature thanks to the vision of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander. The National Guard, under the leadership of HH Shaikh Mohammed has turned into a protective force to defend the sovereignty of the homeland, as military depth for the BDF and a security shield for the public security forces, he added. The commander of the Pakistani participating force gave a brief on the exercise, held for the fifth time, and on its significance in exchanging experiences between the two sides in combating terrorism through the application of several security situations. Al Bader 5 exercise is within the cooperation and coordination through the cooperation protocol signed between the Bahraini National Guard and the Pakistani Army. It stresses the efforts to exchange experiences to develop the fighting capabilities of the National Guard, led by Lieutenant General HH Shaikh Mohammed who strengthened the military force through five-year strategic modernization and development plans.