Massive U.S. War Games at Sea Have a Clear Target: Iran
A 60-nation naval exercise is taking place in an unlikely spot: off the Middle East.
Gamers.
Photographer: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. Navy is currently conducting one of the largest maritime exercises in recent history, with more than 60 nations taking part. Running through Feb. 17, the drills will cover waters off the Middle East, Southwest Asia and East Africa. Known as both Cutlass Express 2022 and International Maritime Exercise 2022 — or IMX-CE22 — the war games will encompass nearly 10,000 personnel, 50 warships and 80 unmanned systems.
The drills will include practicing sea control (the ability to dominate the oceans and deny opponents open access); maritime domain awareness (tracking all contacts on the surface, below the surface, and in the airspace over the seas); mine countermeasures (especially in the narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz); and anti-air warfare (such as increasing tactical capability against supersonic missiles).