U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces concluded exercise Nautical Union 2007 in the Persian Gulf June 2. USS Higgins (DDG 76), USS Hawes (FFG 53), USS Gladiator (MCM 11) and USS Ardent (MCM 12) trained with Saudi Arabian forces during the eight-day exercise, which focused on improving regional cooperation and efficiency in maintaining stability in the 5th Fleet area of operations. "Nautical Union is a multidimensional warfare exercise involving Royal Saudi and United States Naval forces," said Higgins Commanding Officer Cmdr. Winton Smith. "Bilateral in nature, it is intended to enhance interoperability and tactical proficiency between coalition and regional forces, which may operate together to help set conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment.