MANAMA, Bahrain – U.S. 5th Fleet completed a two-week vessel boarding exchange Oct. 31 with 14 representatives from regional nations in the Gulf of Aden.

Participants from Bahrain, Djibouti and other regional partners in the Middle East joined members of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard for 16 days of classroom instruction ashore in Bahrain and practical application at sea.

The classroom portion covered topics such as safety, equipment familiarization, vessel inspection and search procedures. The at-sea portion occurred in the Gulf of Aden, where the participants conducted routine flag-verification boardings of vessels transiting international waters.

The U.S. ships involved included patrol coastal ship USS Monsoon (PC 4) and guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94).

“It’s always great working alongside our regional partners in a very dynamic environment,” said Cmdr. Katie Jacobson, commanding officer of Nitze. “Through shared knowledge and experience we are better equipped to deter and stop illicit cargo smuggling because when left unchecked these activities can have destabilizing effects.”

The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.