UNIPATH STAFF Several years after forming its National Space Science Agency (NSSA), Bahrain became the second Arab nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a U.S.-led agreement to create internationally recognized rules for space exploration. Mohamed Al Aseeri, head of the Bahrain space agency, signed the accords in March 2022 during a session of the U.S.-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue. The country deployed its first satellite, called Light-1, in February 2022. The jointly financed Bahraini-Emirati project aims to measure atmospheric gamma rays. “I am so pleased to see Bahrain has shown its commitment to the peaceful exploration of space by signing the Artemis…
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The State Partnership Program between the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan and the Mississippi National Guard has yielded spectacular results for more than 10 years. The program matches National Guard units from particular U.S. states with partner countries around the world to build security cooperation. Between 2012 and 2022, Mississippi and Uzbekistan have engaged in 198 events, 44 key leader engagements, 51 bilateral conferences and four different recurring military exercises, including U.S. Central Command’s Regional Cooperation exercise. “I am thankful for 10 years of extraordinary partnership with the leaders and service members of Uzbekistan,” Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General Maj.…
Rear Adm. Mohammed Yousif Al Asam joined the Bahrain Defence Force in 1979 as an officer candidate and was sent to the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi, where he graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in marine science. He progressed through numerous positions aboard naval missile boats as a navigation officer and operations officer until he assumed command of his first ship in 1993 with his appointment to the missile boat al-Jabri. Further ship commands awaited him — including aboard the frigate Sabha — until he took charge of Bahrain’s Special Naval Group in 2009. Two years later he…
Kazakhstan has received hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor its borders for criminal and terrorist activity, the U.S. Embassy in Astana announced in May 2022. The “Raven” UAV system is used widely by armed forces around the world. Weighing 1.9 kilograms apiece, the drones are lightweight, easy to use and suitable for low-altitude day and night surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Ravens transmit color and/or infrared images in real time to ground control stations and remote surveillance stations. The number of drones the U.S. supplied to Kazakhstan was not reported. Following the delivery of the UAVs to Kazakhstan, the…
In a weapons deal worth more than $1.6 billion, Egypt is set to import South Korean equipment to maintain the fight against local and global terrorism. A summit held in Cairo between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi led to the announcement that Egypt would buy K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzers from South Korea’s Hanwha Defense Co. The agreement, signed in February 2022, includes a transfer of technology so that Egypt can manufacture some of the artillery through the Egyptian Ministry of Defense and Military Production. “It is an achievement made through a combination of…
Responding to appeals by the governments of the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India and the Philippines, the Sultanate of Oman facilitated in April 2022 the release of 14 foreigners held hostage in Yemen. The people freed were seven Indian nationals, three British, a Filipino, an Indonesian and a citizen of Myanmar. Some had been held in solitary confinement, mistreated, and denied visits by relatives. “After communicating with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to facilitate the issuance of the necessary documents, the freed people were transferred from Sanaa to Muscat on an Oman Royal Air Force plane,” the Oman News Agency reported.…
After a three-year hiatus, the Pakistan Air Force conducted its first bilateral training exercise with the U.S. Air Force during Falcon Talon 2022 from February 28 to March 4. Formation flying, aerial maneuvers, parachuting and commando raids by Air Force ground forces were among the combat scenarios practiced by participating forces. Trainers stressed the need for “agile combat employment” among U.S. and Pakistani Air Force personnel, so that they could flex their military skills beyond narrow specializations. In the name of realism, ground crews were called upon to rapidly rearm and refuel aircraft whose engines were still running. Falcon Talon…
Kyrgyzstani security forces tapped the U.S. State Department’s Counter Terrorism Assistance Program (CTAS) to improve their performance countering online terrorist activity. On April 1, 2022, the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan completed training with the staff of the Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior called “Advanced Interrogation Techniques.” The five days of training focused on thwarting terrorists who use such cyber-based platforms as social media, smartphones and GPS. The curriculum also dealt with preventive cybersecurity, data analysis and using a human-rights based community engagement strategy to reduce the appeal of extremist messaging. The April workshop followed a similar training in February 2022…
UNIPATH STAFF In light of increased flows illegal drugs across its borders, the Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) has sought the assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “Due to the changes in the political situation in Afghanistan, reemergence of organized criminal groups in the region, and the increase in drug smuggling through Tajikistan, the Tajik and U.S. authorities expressed their readiness to strengthen bilateral cooperation to address drug trafficking,” the DCA announced in March 2022. Tajik law enforcement agencies seized more than four tons of illegal narcotics in 2021, 68.4% more than seized in 2020, according to the DCA.…
The United States has officially named Qatar as a major non-NATO ally (MNNA), a clear sign of closeness in bilateral relations. Delivering on a prior pledge he made to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, U.S. President Joe Biden in March 2022 issued a presidential declaration announcing the upgrade in the partnership between the two countries. The MNNA declaration grants Qatar special economic and military privileges. Following in the footsteps of Kuwait and Bahrain, Qatar is now the third Arabian Gulf state to become a major U.S. non-NATO ally. Only 16 other countries have been granted…