Filenews 27 October 2020
With the largest deployment of ships of the Royal Navy in the era of independence, a joint exercise with the Republic of Cyprus and with the participation of a French warship took place today off Limassol.
The exercise, which is part of the deployment of British forces in the Eastern Mediterranean under the name 'Littoral Response Group (Experimentation)' (LRGX), concerned the main part of the recapture of a Cypriot ship following piracy.
Impressed and satisfied with the cooperation, said British High Commissioner Stephen Lilly and National Guard Chief Of Staff Lieutenant General Democritus Zervakis, who attended the exercise from the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Albion. In particular, Mr. Lilly thanked Cyprus and France for their participation and noted that this is the largest presence of Royal Navy ships in Cyprus since independence.
Recalling that HMS Enterprise, which was also involved in a search and rescue exercise with the Cypriot authorities, was recently found on the island, the High Commissioner announced the arrival of other warships in the area. Mr. Lilly congratulated the British sailors and marines as well as the ship's command for the security measures taken during these difficult times of the pandemic.
For his part, E.F. Chief Democritus Zervakis said today's exercise reinforces the various activities that take place within the framework of the two-hour bilateral defence cooperation programme.
At the same time, he stressed that the presence of the force in the region demonstrates that Britain supports regional security and freedom of navigation in the Eastern Mediterranean and indicated that Cyprus regards Great Britain as an important partner in the effort to ensure stability and security, particularly at a time of tension in the region.
During the presence of the guests at HMS Albion, there was a guided tour and exhibition of the ship's modern equipment and great capabilities, as a floating platform for operations with helicopters, marines, armoured vehicles and amphibious vessels.
The demonstration took place in the maritime area of the Gulf of Limassol and involved floating and flying instruments of the Republic of Cyprus, the United Kingdom and the Naval Unit of France.
The aeronautical activity was also attended by HMS ALBION, the UK and US Defence Followers, the Commander of British Bases, the NAVY Commander of the FBI, the Commander of the Naval Force, as well as a delegation of IS officers.
The UK-based amphibious operations ship HMS ALBION (L14), the destroyer HMS DRAGON (D35), two Wildcat helicopters (E/P) and two high-speed (T/X) 42 Command vessels participated in the UK's 'Demonstration of Capabilities'. do/Juliet Company (UK Marines), the French frigate FS JEAN BART (D615), which is part of LRG(X) and from the EF, took part in the PATH IOANNIDIS (P61), two MYK vessels and personnel, as well as an AW-139 I/O of the Aviation Administration.
During the aeronautical activity, dynamic display took place with the participation of floating and flying instruments of the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom, which was implemented in two sub-phases. In particular, in the first phase there was a rapid rope of a team of the MYK from the AW-139 and simultaneous boarding of a group of Marines from a T/X vessel, while in the second phase a fast rope of a group of Marines from A/P Wildcat and the boarding of a team of the M.S.C. by a T/C vessel, on the PATH IOANNIDIS.
In addition, on HMS ALBION, delegations were able to tour a static exhibition, which included a demonstration of weaponry, Wildcat N/A, diving equipment, vehicles, UAVs and Drones, as well as specialized telecommunications equipment and devices used by LRG(X) in amphibious operations. At the same time, a dynamic special operations unit energy demonstration was carried out on HMS ALBION.
The Head of OHIM congratulated all participants on the excellent conduct of the activity, noting that the presence of LRG(X) in Cyprus is a unique opportunity for co-education and tangible proof of the very good military cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom. In addition, he said their interoperability as well as their high level of education had been highlighted. Finally, it pointed out that at a time of multiple and multi-layered challenges and with an increasing presence of hybrid threats, the cooperation of the Armed Forces of the two countries contributes to strengthening security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Source: eyenews/CYPE
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