US, Bahrain Conduct First Drone Drills in Gulf

The US and Bahrain navies conducted Tuesday a joint exercise at sea, launching a series of drills integrating unmanned systems into regional maritime operations.

The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, announced last month it launched a new task force in the Gulf to rapidly incorporate drones and artificial intelligence into operations, saying Task Force 59 would rely on regional and coalition partnerships.

The announcement by the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) came amid maritime tensions between Iran and its arch-enemy Israel, with which Bahrain normalized ties last year.