Israel, Turkey & the U.S. Participate in Joint Naval Drill

(August 2008)

In August 2008, Israel hosted a major trilateral search-and-rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. The two-day exercise was called Reliant Mermaid IX. Reliant Mermaid exercises began in 1998 and have become a staple of Israeli-Turkish relations. The joint naval drills are intended to promote familiarity between each nation’s naval forces that sail regularly in the Mediterranean, in case of an actual marine rescue operation. Aircraft and ships from Israel, Turkey and the United States practiced a series of emergency rescue maneuvers off the Israeli coast. Other exercises have simulated scenarios with sinking ships, downed aircraft and other maritime emergencies, allowing each country to share and study best practices for responding to crises at sea.