The Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, landed last night (Wednesday) in the Kingdom of Bahrain for his first visit. The IDF, by the way, did not explain why the chief of staff sided with his Bahraini counterpart while wearing civilian clothes, while wearing a uniform. The IDF spokesman did not distribute photos from the incident and the photos remained exclusive to foreign agencies.
On the eve of his first visit to the country, the Chief of Staff was received at an official reception, chaired by the Chief of the General Staff of the Bahrain Army, Major General Diav Seker al-Noaimi, with whom he met. Later, the Chief of Staff met with Sheikh Nasser bin Hemed al-Khalifa, Secretary General of the Supreme Security Council and National Security Adviser.
Today, the Chief of Staff is expected to meet with other senior members of the military system and the leadership of Bahrain and with the commander of the Fifth Fleet, Admiral Charles Brad Cooper, at the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
The visit is in addition to other recent meetings as part of a collaboration with the United States military, including the visit of General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of Santcom. There is no doubt that this is a visit that completes the strategic triangle in an area consisting of host Bahrain, the United States which is anchored as a permanent base in the area and now officially also the Israel Defense Forces.
Admiral Charles Brad Cooper, at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, said a month ago in a special interview with Makor Rishon that “Israel’s maritime partnership with Bahrain is one of the largest in the world.” According to Admiral Cooper, the connection creates the joint naval axis for three countries and even seeks the largest and most powerful axis in the world: “I think the importance of our presence here today is in strengthening military ties between Israel and Bahrain. Our aspect of this cooperation, mine “This is the largest integrated maritime partnership in the world,” Cooper said. “In this context, cooperation between nations from a common vision, is always a great and powerful force. Clearly, our situation is always better when we join together into a common force.”
Chief of Staff Kochavi is accompanied by the head of the Strategy and Third Circle Division, Maj. Gen. Tal Kalman, the head of the Foreign Relations Division, Brigadier General Efi Dafrin and the head of the Research Division, Brigadier General Amit Saar. The deputy chief of staff, General Herzli Halevi, fills the chief of staff’s place in his absence.