KUWAIT: Kuwait's Defense Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah underscored the importance of the Pearl of the West 2022 drills in acquiring expertise, developing skills and increasing efficiency, capacity and readiness of armed forces.

This was during the presence of Sheikh Abdullah Thursday at the end of the Pearl of the West 2022 exercise in the Al-Adira area, northwest of the country, which is being implemented by the Kuwaiti Army and Kuwait National Guard (KNG) in cooperation with French armed forces, achieving a high degree of training for the participating military sectors, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

KUWAIT: The Defense Minister talks to an military official as Ambassador Le Flecher looks on.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of cooperation, coordination and joint work between the Kuwaiti armed forces and the armed forces of countries, which would contribute to carrying out various tasks, duties and joint military exercises. He commended the high morale and the outstanding performance of the participants in the exercise, which echoes the level of readiness and field skill experienced by the armed forces with a unified military action system.

He turned to Allah Almighty to protect the homeland from all harm and to maintain security, safety and stability under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

KUWAIT: A live-fire exercise going on as part of the Pearl of the West 2022 drills

KUWAIT: Military personnel pose for a picture in front of a military tank.

KUWAIT: The Defense Minister takes a look at a M1A2K tank.

Upon his arrival at the exercise site, Sheikh Abdullah listened to a detailed explanation from the Director of the Pearl of the West 2022 exercise Brigadier General Raed Al-Sakran, during which he reviewed the scenario of the final exercise, the capabilities of the forces participating in it, and the most crucial tactical positions.

The attendees witnessed the final activities of the exercise, which included shooting live ammunition with various weapons, having a high-level of professionalism in performance and accuracy in implementation, which everyone approved.

KUWAIT:Sheikh Abdullah, Lt General Khalid Saleh Al-Sabah, MoD’s Undersecretary Abdullah Meshal Al-Sabah, Ambassador of France to Kuwait Claire Le Flecher and other officials during the military exercise.

Sheikh Abdullah observed shooting with live ammunition of the M1A2K tank of the ground force, where he expressed his happiness with the accuracy of hitting targets, reflecting competence and skills of the Kuwaiti army in dealing with various types of weapons and equipments.

The final exercise was attended by Chief of the General Staff of the Army Lieutenant General Khalid Saleh Al-Sabah, MoD's Undersecretary Abdullah Meshal Al-Sabah, Ambassador of France to Kuwait Claire Le Flecher, and several senior military leaders in the Kuwaiti army and KNG as well as armed forces of Bahrain, France and the US.  - KUNA