Under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), the security authorities in the country will be organising the ‘Watan Exercise 2023’ from November 6 to 8. The exercise will see the participation of military and civilian authorities in the country.

The announcement was made at a press conference at the headquarters of the Lekhwiya Force in Doha on Wednesday. It was attended by Brig Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah, director of Public Relations Department of Ministry of Interior and commander of ‘Watan Exercise 2023’ Media Cell; Staff Col Mubarak Shareeda Al Kaabi, assistant commander of Lekhwiya Force for Logistics and Administration and Commander of ‘Watan Exercise 2023’; and Major Muhammed Ahmed Jaber Abdullah, commander of Control, Command and Scenarios Preparation Cell.

Brig Al Muftah said that the ‘Watan Exercise 2023’ aims to raise and test readiness in normal and emergency situations, especially during major sporting events and activities held in the country. It also seeks to measure the speed of response to various incidents, and to activate the mechanism of command, control and joint cooperation, to achieve integration of roles and implement the required tasks as quickly as possible. It also aims to enhance close cooperation, exchange of experiences, and identify the best procedures among the participating parties.

The ‘Watan Exercise 2023’ includes both office and field exercises. These exercises simulate various incidents and situations, considering the diversity and progression of exercise scenarios. The scenarios are carefully selected based on potential risks and challenges, and they are developed with input from specialists and experts in the relevant fields, Brig Al Muftah added.

Brig Al Muftah also said that the previous editions of the exercises yielded many positive results and lessons that have been put into practice in the development of security and public safety plans. This collaborative effort with civil authorities has played a significant role in the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Commander of ‘Watan Exercise 2023’ Staff Col Mubarak Shareeda Al Kaabi said that the current version of the exercise will witness the participation of all military agencies and more than 30 government institutions, authorities and agencies, in addition to the private sectors which have security and service nature.

The exercise committee has made every effort to select exercise sites that won’t disrupt the daily life of the public, said Staff Col Al Kaabi. He advised everyone to cooperate with security personnel and be prepared to consider alternative travel routes if needed during the exercise.

Maj Mohammed Ahmed Jaber Abdullah outlined the six stages of the ‘Watan Exercise 2023’, which include preparing all necessary documentation and specifying exercise locations, creating a media plan, receiving approval for exercise scenarios from leadership, developing an instruction booklet and operation order, conducting office exercises, implementing the field exercise, assessing exercise outcomes, presenting a final summary, and submitting results to the leadership.

Maj. Mohammed provided insights into the scenarios of the exercise. The office exercises, preceding the field exercise, are scheduled from October 30 to November 1, 2023. These exercises encompass a range of scenarios simulating emergency situations, organisational events, system malfunctions, protection systems, health care, and more.

Maj. Mohamed confirmed that the exercise sites include land and sea sites, vital military and service facilities, land, sea and air ports, tourist sites, in addition to operation rooms, residential areas, and main roads.

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