Israel, US conclude joint naval drill in Red Sea

JERUSALEM: Israel and the US concluded a joint navy drill in the Red Sea to exercise the use of artificial intelligence during naval combat, Israel’s military said in a statement.

Taking place in the gulf of Eilat in southern Israel, the “Digital Shield” exercise involved soldiers and officers from the Israeli Navy and the US Fifth Fleet, a naval US force in the Middle East, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.

“Manned vessels of the Israeli Navy, troops from the 915th Fleet and the ‘Snapir’ Unit operated alongside unmanned vessels of the US Fifth Fleet’s Task Force 59,” the military said on Thursday.

The purpose of the exercise was to strengthen “cooperation between the militaries and constructing a shared understanding of the maritime domain as well as using artificial intelligence as part of the operational toolbox,” the military said.