Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition holds 4th planning meeting in Saudi Arabia

The Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition on Thursday held its 4th planning meeting in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Defense Ministry said Friday.

The meeting in Jeddah was part of the coalition's "ongoing transition from the founding stage to the actual operational stage, having reached Initial Operational Capability," the ministry said in a statement on US social media platform X.

It was attended by the representatives of "41 brotherly and friendly countries," the officials stated, adding that EU representatives also took part.

The coalition is a 14-country military alliance formed in July to ensure that vital waterways surrounding the Arabian Peninsula-the Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Red Sea-remain open to international traffic.

The coalition is currently integrating capabilities and preparing for operational execution and an actual presence in the maritime area of operations, the ministry highlighted.

It reviewed developments in the coalition's work, achievements during the previous phase, and progress in countries joining the coalition, according to the statement.

The discussions also discussed requirements for joint operations and the capability contributions of participating countries to support coordinated and integrated multinational defensive operations and enhance the coalition's operational readiness, it said.

The meeting marks an "advanced stage" in the coalition's development, focusing on operational readiness under a unified command ahead of deployment and the launch of missions in the area of responsibility, the ministry added.