U.S. and allied forces gather for naval exercises in Bahrain's Persian Gulf waters.
Forty-one countries are taking part in the two-week International Mine Countermeasures Exercise to practice minesweeping and protecting ports and energy installations in the area.
U.S. Fifth fleet commander Vice Admiral John Miller said it was significant so many nations were taking part, despite financial hard times.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) VICE ADMIRAL JOHN W. MILLER, COMMANDER OF U.S. NAVAL FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND 5TH FLEET, SAYING:
"Every time we put these technologies together, in particular in this body of water in the Gulf, we learn a lot about what capabilities we have, what improvements we might want to see in the future, how we develop our tactics, our techniques and procedures to make sure that we are getting the most out of the technology."
Most of the Gulf's oil and gas is exported and many of the goods it consumes are imported through the Gulf waterway.
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