It is common to meet professionals well versed in their narrow specialties: the engineer describing his latest design or the military commander analyzing a new weapons system. Meeting Brig. Gen. Rezeq Alrawashdeh, then-director of the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, you discover a scholar with a deep interest in diverse topics. He is equally comfortable discussing poetry, philosophy and history as he is military tactics and strategy. The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army has called on Brig. Gen. Alrawashdeh’s talents to occupy many influential posts during his decades-long military career. After his service at the defense college, he was promoted…
Unipath
I would like to express my gratitude to our friends at United States Central Command for inviting us to contribute to this important issue of Unipath, which focuses on confronting complex threats that threaten national sovereignty. We in Jordan have gained a wealth of field experience because of our location in a region plagued by multiple conflicts that could have seeped across borders had it not been for the vigilance of our security forces. We all remember how terrorists infiltrated Jordan from Iraq in 2006 and committed massacres by bombing hotels. Those attacks were planned by Al-Qaida in Iraq, which…
To enhance maritime security in the Mediterranean and Red seas, Egyptian Navy ships trained with French partners at combined naval exercise Cleopatra 2025. The December 2025 exercise was held near the southern French port city of Toulon, although Cleopatra has alternated between locations in Egypt and France since 2014. Cleopatra 2025 covered naval drills, including gunnery, sailing in formation, fast-roping onto ship decks, resupply missions, and visit, board, search and seizure operations. The drills involved French Mistral-class helicopter carriers, Egyptian Gowind-class corvettes, frigates and F-16 fighter jets. Observing the events were Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Adel Fawzi, commander of the Egyptian…
Since the accession of His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to Crown Prince in June 2017, Saudi Arabia has initiated a comprehensive modernization plan. This includes good governance, economic diversification, and investments in defense technology and modernization. Specifics include enhancing Saudi Royal Armed Forces capabilities, upgrading their equipment and procuring 50% of Saudi military materiel at home. In line with that vision, the kingdom hosted the World Defense Show 2026 (WDS), to showcase the future of defense integration through technological developments from all over the world. Focused on the theme “The Future of Defense Integration,” WDS 2026 covered…
To enhance military interoperability and exchange expertise, forces from the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia conducted a joint exercise code-named Desert Shield 8 in Abu Dhabi in February 2026. Desert Shield aimed to raise the level of combat readiness, improve joint operations planning and execution capabilities, and unify operational concepts. Troops overcame the language barrier and executed practical and tactical scenarios simulating diverse operational environments to improve efficiency, cohesion and joint operations skills. The joint exercise illustrates the depth of the partnership between the two countries and their commitment to strengthening joint defense cooperation to shore up security and…
Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al-Helmani, a 71-year-old educator from Yemen’s Dhamar Governorate, died in February 2026 from injuries suffered when unjustly imprisoned by the Houthis. In November 2025, a female teacher, Dr. Ashwaq Suleiman Al-Shumairi, was kidnapped by a Houthi women’s militia in Sanaa. These are not isolated incidents. In a campaign of terror against Yemeni citizens, the Houthis have focused on oppressing academics to ensure conformity to the group’s radical Iranian-influenced ideology. University academics and faculties have been forced to attend both ideological and military training sessions and pledge loyalty to the Houthis, according to Fares al Hemyari, a journalist…
Qatar deepened its defense partnership with Türkiye through several agreements signed between Qatari entity Barzan Holdings and leading Turkish defense companies. The five cooperation agreements covered naval platforms, ammunition production, systems engineering and technology sharing, positioning Türkiye as a long-term industrial partner in Qatar’s defense modernization plans. The two countries sealed the deals at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference in early 2026. Turkish shipbuilding consortium TAIS and Barzan Holdings signed a $1 billion agreement covering the procurement of two Istif-class frigates. A previous Qatari purchase agreement for two 50-meter fast attack craft culminated in the delivery of…
The Omani port of Salalah — a commercial shipping hub linking nations throughout the Indian Ocean region — witnessed an unexpected attack in March 2026 when Iranian drones exploded into fuel storage tanks. What made the attack shocking to many was Oman’s role as a neutral mediator in negotiations to avert war from Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, when war erupted, Oman itself became an Iranian military target along with its Arabian Gulf neighbors. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operatives instigated the attack as part of a broader campaign to upset global energy markets with strikes on petroleum supplies in…
The Kyrgyz Republic is increasing security cooperation with regional and international partners. Given the country’s strategic location between Asia and Europe, the Kyrgyz government seeks a diverse array of security partnerships, reflecting its balanced approach to international relations. Kyrgyz security agencies regularly engage with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), primarily on technical and organizational topics. For example, the Kyrgyz Anti-Terrorism Centre of the State Committee of National Security, in cooperation with the UNOCT, brought together representatives from security agencies across the nation’s government for a workshop in May 2025. The program, developed and supported by the U.N. Global…
Tajikistan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Border Guard Forces troops and Virginia National Guard Soldiers trained together with a focus on responding rapidly to terrorist threats on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. The training, part of the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, occurred in January 2026 at Fort Pickett, Va. The training also highlighted Tajikistan interagency cooperation to unify the efforts of interior ministry troops and border guards against a terrorism threat that crosses borders and endangers the entire region. Excellence in counterterrorism and border security is a fundamental requirement for Tajikistan’s Armed Forces and security organs. The nation’s location…