The U.S. Navy on Jan. 31 kicked off the largest ever unmanned international maritime exercise in the Middle East region. The Navy said Monday that an 18-day training event commenced during a ceremony at U.S. 5th Fleet’s headquarters in Bahrain. Led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, 60 partner nations and international organizations are participating in the 2022 edition of the International Maritime Exercise (IMX), it said. Training in this year’s IMX will span across the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and North Indian Ocean. According to the command, more than 80 unmanned systems will be tested by 10 of the participating partner nations, marking the largest group of unmanned platforms used in a naval exercise to date. “This level of representation demonstrates shared resolve in preserving the rules-based international order,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and …