Portsmouth Hosts Senior Military Personnel From 59 Countries

Senior military personnel from 59 countries have been in Portsmouth Naval Base. 

Their visit was part of a course run by the Joint Service Command and Staff College in Shrivenham.

The day saw British Commanders, Lieutenant Colonels and Wing Commanders mixing with their counterparts from countries including Egypt, Rwanda, Mali and Lebanon. 

Their visit was part of a year-long course and designed to foster an understanding of naval operations.

There have also been visits to the Army and Royal Air Force.

Captain Pat Douglas, the Director of the Advanced Command Staff Course, said: "We take senior officers, from the UK primarily, about 160 of them and 100 more international students.

"We try to get people to a point where they understand better about the concepts of the high levels of defence."

For personnel, first on the agenda was a diving demonstration, covering a wide capability range, from traditional manned diving operations to the latest semi-autonomous sea drone.

They later visited the river-class patrol vessel, HMS Tyne, and mine countermeasures vessel, HMS Middleton.

Lieutenant Colonel Stepan Stepanyan from the Armenian Army said the visit was "tremendous and interesting".

Lieutenant Colonel Givorad from the Bosnian Army, said:

"It's very useful for interoperability for our forces to find a way to cooperate."

Commander Jonathas de Campos from the Brazilian Navy, echoed his comments:

"I am having the opportunity to learn a lot of new things about international relations and new capabilities," Cdr Jonathas de Campos said.