The Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman has taken the Passing-Out-Parade salute at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) reinforcing the ties between the two nations.
Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis bin Abdullah Al-Raisi inspected the 78 young officers on parade to mark the successful completion of their Royal Navy Initial Naval Training course.
While the majority of the Cadets completing the 30 week intensive course were members of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, 16 were from overseas Navies, including seven from the Royal Navy of Oman.
Captain Jerry Kyd, the Commanding Officer of BRNC, said:
“Cadets from the Royal Navy of Oman have been coming to BRNC for training for around 20 years to the mutual benefit of both countries.
“We were very pleased that Rear Admiral Al-Raisi was able to join us as the guest of honour. During his time here he was able to meet 15 other Officer Cadets from his Navy who are currently undergoing training with us.
“All the Cadets completing training this time have undergone an intensive period of training which is designed to prepare them for the rigours of modern operations.
“They have undertaken exercises on the River Dart, which mimic as far as possible the operations the Royal Navy is engaged in all over the world, and served at sea on board HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark.
“They should be proud of their achievements and I wish them success in their future careers.”
Over 100 other Service personnel also took part in the parade including Cadets at varying stages of their training and the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Plymouth, who provided the musical accompaniment.
Oman is one of around 20 different nations who regularly send their Cadets to BRNC for training. Other countries, whose future Naval leaders are trained alongside their UK counterparts, include Yemen, Singapore, Kuwait and Nigeria.
[mappress] Press Release, July 17, 2013; Image: Royal Navy