Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Charest | 250220-N-FF029-1093 MANAMA, Bahrain (Feb. 20, 2025) U.S. Naval Reserve Sailors,...... read more read more
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MANAMA, Bahrain – Reserve Sailors from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet enterprise developed and tested their warfighting readiness from Feb. 9-20 during International Maritime Exercise (IMX) 2025, in Bahrain and Jordan and their immediate waterways.
More than 80 Reservists took part in the ninth iteration of IMX, the largest multinational training event in the Middle East. IMX involved 5,000 personnel from more than 30 nations and international organizations committed to preserving the rules-based international order and strengthening regional maritime security cooperation.
During the exercise, Reservists supported NAVCENT exercise serials for maritime operations, including intelligence briefings, logistics planning, and responses to medical emergencies -- all designed to prepare them to fill the roles of their active-component counterparts at a moment’s notice while also working alongside partner nations.
The immersive training brought many Reservists to the Maritime Operations Center and provided valuable experiences needed if called upon for duty.
“This iteration of IMX featured more real world involvement of more real world elements than other exercises I have been a part of as a Navy Reservist,” said Chief Operations Specialist Brendan McLendon. “To be on the watch floor and knowing that there are real ships underway, executing real events, made IMX an all-encompassing exercise I was happy to be a part of.”
Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Christopher Stark was at his third IMX, and acknowledged the work alongside partner nations was more integrated than previous editions.
“I was not able to work alongside each nation represented at IMX, but the ones I did work alongside were very professional,” said Stark. “They brought a lot of different knowledge and experience with them and to the methods they approach each scenario, which was interesting to learn.”
“If we did have a need to work alongside our partner nations, having this kind of preexisting relationship already in place is a good thing,” added McLendon.
Rear Adm. Jeff Jurgemeyer, the NAVCENT/C5F vice commander, participated fully in IMX 25 and addressed the 83 reserve Sailors at the culmination of the exercise.
“I hope you all had a worthwhile experience here in Bahrain during IMX,” said Jurgemeyer.
Also, he reinforced, that in an increasingly dynamic global security environment, exercises such as IMX display the critical role reserve Sailors play in current operations.
“The importance of what you all bring to NAVCENT and 5th Fleet in providing the support to be able to come in here is widely recognized. I get a lot of positive fededback about you all and they really appreciate that here. It can be hard for Vice Adm. Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, to tell who is a reservist and who is not, and that is certainly what I like to hear.”
NAVCENT/C5F is the maritime component commander of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, which encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse comprises more than 20 countries and includes three critical choke points: the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz.
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2025 08:35 |
| Story ID: | 491528 |
| Location: | MANAMA, BH |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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