[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Combat Ready" ids="109246,109247,109248"] In February this year, the Kingdom launched one of the biggest military drills with the participation of more than 20 countries. The "North Thunder" military drill in northern Saudi Arabia focused on training troops on how to deal with terror groups and how to transfer from traditional to low-intensity combat operations. The "North Thunder" received regional and international attention as the largest military drill in the world in terms of the number of participating forces as well as the breadth of the maneuver area, SPA said. The countries which participated in the drill included the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Sudan, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Turkey, Tunisia, Comoros, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt and Mauritania, in addition to the Peninsula Shield Forces. In March this year, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman along with many leaders and representatives witnessed the conclusion of exercises in Hafr Al-Batin where the event took place. King Salman said that the presence of leaders and representatives of 20 friendly countries at the closing ceremony of the North Thunder military exercise proved their eagerness to further strengthen military ties. Thanking them for their attendance, the King said the North Thunder maneuvers raised the level of combat readiness and helped assess the ability to manage military operations to achieve the unity of ranks and ward off dangers facing Arab and Islamic nations.
