Israel and German Navies Strengthen Ties Through Joint Naval Cooperation at Haifa Base

The Israel Navy welcomed a German Navy delegation during a vessel’s port visit at Haifa Naval Base, as confirmed by the military on Thursday.

As part of the visit, the German vessel engaged in a joint Passing Exercise (PASSEX), aimed at fostering operational coordination, knowledge exchange, and reinforcing the professional partnership between the two navies.

Additional collaborative activities took place during the visit.

High-level discussions were held between Haifa Naval Base Chief R.-Adm. Erez Ben Zion, Germany’s 4th Frigate Squadron Chief Naval Captain Volker Kübsch, and the visiting vessel’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Rico Geisler.

The trio addressed ongoing cooperation between the navies and explored opportunities to further deepen bilateral defense relations.

Israel maintains strong ties with Germany’s naval sector, having acquired corvettes and submarines from the European nation in recent years.

TKMS, a German defense contractor, has cultivated a strategic partnership with the Israeli Navy, supplying four advanced submarines valued at billions of shekels. The company also collaborated with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on a contract to provide the German Navy with unmanned submarine systems.

Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post reported in February that the submarines delivered by IAI to TKMS were the autonomous BlueWhale mini-submarines.

In February, as Israel and the U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iran under operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, made a historic docking at Haifa Naval Base.

Yonah Jeremy Bob, Shir Perets, and Udi Etzion contributed to this report.

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