Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has conducted a month-long Joint Combined Exercise for Training (JCET) with the US Armed Forces, called Exercise Lantern Metal.
During the joint exercise, an 11-member contingent from the US Armed Forces trained a total of 36 MNDF soldiers in skills such as combat marksmanship, counter-IED and maritime interdiction operations. At the conclusion of Exercise Lantern Metal, Minister of Defence Mariya Didi addressed the closing ceremony held at MNDF Central Area Command in Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Mariya highlighted that Exercise Lantern Metal was a testament to the strong, time-tested partnership between the defence forces of the Maldives and the US, which signed a Defence Framework Agreement last year, further boosting defence cooperation between the two countries. The exercise also included a human rights training component, which Minister Mariya said was highly essential and contextually relevant, given that human rights are a key pledge of the administration, adding that the state is engaged in a process of democratising the MNDF.
Minister Mariya also conveyed her condolences to the US Armed Forces and the families and loved ones of the Service Members who lost their lives and sustained injuries in the Kabul blasts on August 26. She expressed hope that Afghanistan would keep moving ahead on its path to fully ensure women's rights and freedoms, as enshrined in the constitution.
The closing ceremony was attended by Chief of Defence Force Abdulla Shamaal, MNDF general officers and members of the US Armed Forces contingent led by Team Commander Captain Benjamin Zeiss.