Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa patronised today a ceremony to honour the units which clinched first place in 2018 programme to test and assess combat and administrative readiness. The celebration was attended by BDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dhiab bin Saqr Al Nuaimi.

After a briefing on the programme by Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations Major General Ghanim Ibrahim Al Fadhala, the BDF Commander-in-Chief honoured the Special Royal Force for winning the first place. Then, the force's banner was hoisted.

In a speech delivered on the occasion, the BDF Commander-in-Chief congratulated the winning units, paying tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for his directives to continue boosting readiness. He also lauded the continuous follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier. He stressed the role of such programmes in improving performance mainly in the field of operations, pointing out Bahrain's participation in the Decisive Storm Operation alongside the Saudi-led Arab Coalition Forces to back legitimacy in Yemen.

The BDF Commander-in-Chief praised the distinguished readiness and high competence shown by the BDF units which earned them leading places, reflecting the capability and efficacy of the BDF personnel in fulfilling the missions assigned with them. He affirmed that thanks to Allah Almighty and the leadership of HM the King, the BDF will continue defending the nation. He hailed the dedicated efforts of the BDF personnel in assuming their responsibilities at the national, GCC and regional levels. He underscored the importance of development and modernisation at BDF to achieve set up goals, lauding the efforts made to boost the units' combat and administrative readiness and wishing all every success in forthcoming tests.

The ceremony was attended by General Command Court Director Major General Hassan Mohammed Sa'ad, Inspector General Major General Abdullah Hassan Al Nuaimi and senior officers.