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…
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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.…
UNIPATH STAFF Located on the shores of the Dead Sea, Jordan’s King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre hosted in December 2022 the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership aimed at supporting Iraq and shoring up regional stability. High-level officials from Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, France, the European Union and Iraq discussed five dossiers: situations in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria; counterterrorism; food security; energy; and Iran’s nuclear deal. In his opening remarks, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani highlighted the importance of enhancing ties among nations of the Middle East. “We meet…
UNIPATH STAFF Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan held a summit in Tashkent that climaxed with both countries agreeing to demarcate their 2,330-kilometer border. “The agreement fully completes the international legal registration of the state border of Kazakhstan on its southern borders,” President Tokayev said. The neighbors began negotiations on border delineation in 2003. Peaceful demarcation of the Uzbek-Kazakh border is an important milestone given that unresolved border demarcation in Central Asia, a holdover from the days of the Soviet Union, has led to tensions. In addition to the border agreement, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan cooperated on…
Under the banner “Kuwait’s Gate to Space,” the University of Kuwait celebrated launching Kuwait Sat-1, the country’s first satellite. In January 2023, Kuwait Sat-1 was sent into orbit aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the United States. The solar-energy-powered satellite reached its orbit, disengaged from the rocket and spread its wings. A few hours later, Kuwait Sat-1 transmitted its first message to the University of Kuwait. The satellite will circle the Earth and provide high-resolution images to the university for analysis. They will help marine scientists study changes in the Arabian…
UNIPATH STAFF Reaffirming Egypt’s commitment to fight maritime crimes and safeguard international shipping routes, the Egyptian Navy assumed temporary command of Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153) from December 2022 to June 2023. U.S. Navy Captain Robert Francis, who helped establish CTF 153 in April 2022, handed command to Egyptian Navy Rear Adm. Mahmoud Abdelsattar in a ceremony in Bahrain in which he commended Egypt’s navy. “I am incredibly proud of our efforts since launching this new task force only eight months ago … It is a true honor to hand over command to an incredibly strong regional maritime partner…
UNIPATH STAFF Building on years of fertile military cooperation, the U.S. and Kazakhstan could widen cooperation in the fields of economics, politics and diplomacy. Derek Chollet, adviser to the U.S. Department of State, described improving relations between the two countries in an interview with the Kazakh media. “Kazakhstan has been our partner for quite a long time in matters of nonproliferation, disarmament, peacekeeping, and repatriation of Kazakhstanis from Syria,” Chollet said. He added: “We see our cooperation growing beyond military cooperation. This is diplomatic, economic and political cooperation.” Chollet expressed the U.S. interest in fostering the C5+1 program, which includes…