UNIPATH STAFF Born into a household filled with love of soldiering and patriotic sacrifice, Brig. Gen. Azzam Irshed Al-Rawahneh’s military personality was inherited from his father, a Soldier who died fighting to defend the sovereignty of his homeland. Brig. Gen. Al-Rawahneh, commander of the Royal Jordanian National Defense College in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, received his early education in schools affiliated with military culture, where students receive an education in the noble and patriotic principles of the Armed Forces. With his great knowledge of history, politics and literature, he is a distinguished presence at official and social events and…
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Bahrain is equipping itself with sophisticated U.S.-made fighter jets to ensure the security of the Arabian Gulf. In March 2023, Bahraini officials celebrated the upcoming delivery of the first of 16 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets. The ceremony took place at manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s plant in South Carolina in the United States. Bahrain will receive the first batch of the latest F-16s in 2024 with the remainder to follow in 2025. Bahrainis first piloted the jet in January 2023 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Block 70/72 features advanced avionics, an active electronically scanned array radar, conformal fuel…
UNIPATH STAFF Securing energy supplies for its population, Kyrgyzstan plans to build its Kambar-Ata 1 hydropower plant along the Naryn River with the help of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In January 2023, the energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a deal forming a joint venture to build and manage the Kambar-Ata-1 hydroelectric plant in Kyrgyzstan. The project has been stalled for decades due to lack of investment. It would be the largest power plant on the Naryn River, with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts. It may take 10 years to build. The Kyrgyz government insists the plant will boost…
In a flagrant violation of human rights and the values of the Yemeni people, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia issued a directive to its militiamen in December 2022 to ban women from traveling without being accompanied by a male relative. The Houthi encroachment on women rights was not confined to travel. The militia in December 2022 went further and directed restaurant managers in Sanaa to require a marriage license for families wishing to eat at their restaurants. Gender segregation was imposed in college campuses, and study times in universities were split into two shifts: Morning shift for women and evening shift…
New U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Manuel Micaller introduced himself in Dushanbe in April 2023 by stressing regional security cooperation between the two countries. Micaller presented his credentials to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on March 10, 2023, and followed that with a news conference a month later in which he described the Tajik-U.S. partnership. “In the field of security, the priority for the two countries is the fight against extremism and terrorism, as well as the strengthening of the Tajik-Afghan border,” he said. A priority for Tajikistan is stopping drug and weapons trafficking from Afghanistan. For example, in April 2023, criminals…
UNIPATH STAFF To discuss security cooperation and bilateral relations, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as part of a trip to the Middle East and met with His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein in March 2023. Among shared concerns and challenges discussed by the two leaders were helping sustain security and stability in Iraq, arriving at a just political solution to Syria’s conflict, and countering destabilizing activities in the Middle East. Austin expressed appreciation for Jordan’s efforts to facilitate integrated maritime, air, and missile defense cooperation with its allies. The U.S. is…
UNIPATH STAFF To mitigate financial hardship experienced by Lebanese security forces, the United States and United Nations implemented a temporary support program in April 2023 to help sustain the country’s military institutions. Valued at $72 million, the financial support is intended for members of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF). The U.S. Embassy in Beirut issued a statement explaining the need for the money: “This program will help alleviate some of the economic hardship faced by ISF personnel who are exerting tremendous efforts to serve their country, its people and the residents on its lands,…
UNIPATH STAFF Built by Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and dubbed Rashid, the first Arab-built lunar spacecraft reached the moon’s orbit courtesy of the United Arab Emirates. The small and lightweight rover was carried into space by a Space X Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the United States in December 2022. The rover’s mission was to conduct scientific experiments on the moon and transmit data and images to MBRSC. UAE Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum called Rashid part of an ambitious UAE…
UNIPATH STAFF The Qatari National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA) honored 38 cadets from the Ministry of Defense for their contribution to securing Qatar’s cyberspace during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. “Our prudent leadership realized early on the magnitude of the challenges that would [potentially] face the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the largest and most important tournament in the world … one of the most arduous challenges was securing cyberspace for the tournament and for this end the National Agency for Cybersecurity was established,” said NCSA Chairman Abdul Rahman bin Ali Al-Farahid Al-Maliki. NCSA is charged with implementing and overseeing issues…
UNIPATH STAFF Expressing respect for Turkmenistan’s “positive neutrality,” Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, visited the country in April 2023 with the goal of strengthening security cooperation. Gen. Kurilla held meetings in the capital Ashgabat with Turkmen military leaders and senior representatives from the Foreign Ministry. They included Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev, Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. Begench Gundogdyev and Chief of the General Staff Col. Akmurat Anemetov. As Kurilla engaged with these officials in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rasit Meredow arrived in Washington, D.C., for annual bilateral consultations with U.S.…