The Commander of the Royal Army of Oman, Major General Matar bin Salim bin Rashid Al Balushi, accompanied by the Commander of the Qatari Land Forces, Major General Saeed Hesayen Mohammed Al-Khayarin, went this morning to the Al Qaqaa base , 28 kilometers south-west of Doha, for a visit to the headquarters that hosts the Italian military of Operation Oryx, the bilateral mission to support the Armed Forces of Qatar to ensure the security of the World Cup, the first to be hosted by a Middle Eastern country, which will be held in the emirate of the Persian Gulf between November 20 and December 18.
The military authorities, accompanied by their respective delegations, were received by Brigadier General Giuseppe Bossa, Commander of the inter-force contingent led by the “Sassari” Brigade of the Army, which includes about 560 soldiers of the Italian Armed Forces and the Carabinieri with 46 land vehicles, a ship and two aircraft.
At the center of the talks, in addition to the tasks and purposes of the mission, the possible cooperation between the specialized components of the Italian and Qatari military units also in view of Watan, the multinational joint and inter-agency exercise scheduled to take place between 23 and 29 October in the port of Doha, which would have the dual purpose of strengthening relations between Italy and Qatar and perfecting the intervention capabilities of the Qatari army, of the Civil Defence and of the Italian structures for the CBRN defense in view of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The meeting continued in the square of the base where a static exhibition of vehicles, materials and equipment supplied to the Italian contingent was set up. In particular, the Army has deployed specialized EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) defense and canine units. For demonstration purposes, a series of events and technical-tactical exercises set in different fictitious urban scenarios, characterized by emergency situations and potential risks deriving from the presence of explosive devices close to critical infrastructures and crowded places, were simulated.
The Italian Navy, which will contribute to the safety of international waters off Doha with the Paolo Thaon Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Boat from Revel, illustrated the potential of the “REMUS 100” (Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS), the self-driving underwater vehicle that will operate near the coast. Thanks to the ability to scan the seabed, the REMUS will be able to identify the presence of dangerous objects or any bombs present on the seabed. The Italian Air Force, which will contribute to the control of the airspace to counter the possible unauthorized use of mini and micro drones, has deployed a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Anti-drone System (C-UAS) consisting of portable jammer devices and the ACUS anti-drone system (AMI Counter UAS). The commitment of the Carabinieri takes the form of military police and advising activities, present with a device composed of 14 units, including the Provost Marshal, a figure of direct support of the Commander of the mission and, in particular, a Nucleus of 10 advisors, consultants of the security forces (Gendarmerie, Emir Guard, Military Police) and the Special Forces of Qatar. The great satisfaction expressed by the Commander of the Royal Army of Oman, who thanked the Italian Armed Forces for the strong and lasting relationship of collaboration and the sense of friendship and cooperation established over the years between Italy and Oman, was joined by the satisfaction of General Al-Khayarin who wanted to emphasize the excellent level of amalgamation achieved by the Qatari and Italian military for the implementation of the defense and security system of the event sportsman.
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