Nicosia: The small-scale multinational exercise 'CYPRUS ARROW' took place last Monday, 17 August, in the maritime area south of Limassol. Naval units from Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Italy, and the United States participated, under the observance of the leadership of the Cyprus National Guard. Additionally, a joint naval cooperation exercise, known as PASSEX, was conducted between Italy and Cyprus on the same day.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the multinational exercise featured several naval vessels, including the Cyprus National Guard Naval Command's Offshore Patrol Vessel 'Ioannides', the Greek frigate 'Nikiforos Fokas', the US destroyer 'Paul Ignatius', the Italian frigate 'Carabiniere', and the German frigate 'Baden-Wrttemberg'. The exercise encompassed tactical manoeuvres, formation manoeuvres, technical drills, and communications exercises, aimed at testing the cooperation and coordination procedures among the participating naval units at a multinational level.
The announcement highlighted that the joint naval cooperation exercise (PASSEX) was held in the same maritime area between the Cyprus National Guard Naval Command and the Italian Navy. The leadership of the National Guard observed the exercise at sea. The 'Ioannides' offshore patrol vessel and the Italian frigate 'Carabiniere', along with its embarked EH-101 helicopter, took part in the exercise, which involved communications drills, procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of a suspected vessel, and a consensual boarding exercise.