The nations of Central Asia, an important crossroads between east and west, are seeking to expand economic and political partnerships outside of the region. Leaders of the European Union and the five nations of post-Soviet Central Asia — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, April 3-4, 2025, to advance these ties. During the summit, leaders discussed topics including multilateral and regional cooperation, security challenges, trade and investment, energy, human rights, and scientific and educational exchanges and cooperation. This first-ever high-level EU-Central Asia summit is just the beginning of what EU leaders hope will…
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During an official ceremony at the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) headquarters in Yarzeh, Beirut, Lebanon, in July 2025, the European Union announced a new 12.5 million euro project to support the LAF in leading recovery efforts in southern Lebanon. The project, to be implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), is aimed at enhancing security and helping communities rebuild. “This project represents a critical milestone for the military institution, which bears immense responsibilities at the national level,” Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal said. “The army continues to exert tremendous efforts to uphold the authority of the state across…
The recently signed Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia strengthens the two countries’ longtime security commitment. Ratified in September 2025, the pact provides for increased mutual military training, intelligence sharing and technological aid. In case of aggression by other countries, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to support each other militarily. The agreement follows a July 2025 engagement in Karachi in which the naval chiefs of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia discussed regional maritime security and enhanced bilateral defense cooperation. Adm. Naveed Ashraf, Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff, lauded Saudi Arabia’s contributions to the partnership and called…
A staunch advocate for peace and stability, the Kingdom of Bahrain sought to deepen its partnership with the United Kingdom as part of a national effort to bring together like-minded countries to promote security, growth and prosperity in the Middle East. Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s ambassador to the United States; Mora Namdar of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs; and Lucy Ferguson, the U.K.’s acting deputy head of mission to the U.S., signed an agreement in Washington in June 2025, marking the accession of the U.K. to the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA).…
Building on a three-decade partnership, Jordan and NATO marked a significant milestone in June 2025 by signing a bilateral legal agreement to establish a NATO Liaison Office (NLO) in Amman, Jordan. The agreement was signed by Ambassador Yousef Bataineh, head of mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to NATO, and Javier Colomina, the NATO secretary-general’s special representative for the Southern Neighborhood. “This agreement marks a major milestone in our strategic partnership with NATO,” Bataineh said. “The choice of Amman as the headquarters for NATO’s first office in the region reflects Jordan’s vital role in promoting peace, security and stability…
The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) Programme Office in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, delivered four video surveillance cameras to the Tajik border service for use on the country’s Panj district border with Afghanistan. The video equipment is part of Phase 3 of a European Union-funded project to stabilize Tajikistan’s southern border with Afghanistan. Col. Gen. Rajabali Rahmonali, commander of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security, emphasized the importance of the EU’s aid in strengthening the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border and border security throughout the region, and called for expansion of the program. Delivered in July 2025, the…
With the help of partner countries, Kuwait has been rebuilding its armed forces since regaining sovereignty and independence in February 1991. The United States has been a top partner of Kuwait, a major non-NATO ally. For example, in June 2025, the U.S. State Department approved a possible foreign military sale (FMS) to the government of Kuwait of the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank System Sustainment Support and related equipment. The purchase amounts to $325 million, including spare parts and repair kits. The FMS program has generated $28 billion in ongoing sales between the U.S. and Kuwait, promising to improve Kuwait’s…
Modernizing its ballistic missile defenses, the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF) has commissioned its first battery of the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. In a commissioning ceremony at the Saudi Air Defense Forces Institute in Jeddah in July 2025, RSADF Commander Lt. Gen. Maziad bin Suleiman al-Amro presented the battery’s flag to the commanding officer of the newly formed unit. To operate the THAAD system, a team of Saudi officers completed a two-phased training course in the United States. The first phase consisted of 20 weeks of individual training at Fort Bliss, Texas. Each trainee had…
Terrorist attacks on schools, shopping centers and places of worship are a growing worldwide problem. To defend against violent extremists who target vulnerable civilians, security practitioners from more than 20 Turkmenistan government agencies participated in a two-day training held in the capital Ashgabat by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in April 2025. “The global nature of the threat of international terrorism has necessitated the unification of international efforts to combat it,” said Geldimyrat Haldurdyyev, head of Turkmenistan’s Law and International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is “especially relevant against the backdrop of…
The Houthis continue to flout international law by stripping Yemeni people of their human rights and launching attacks on commercial shipping transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. In July 2025, the Houthi terrorist group attacked and sank the Liberian-flagged Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea, killing four sailors and leaving 15 others missing. The Houthis took 11 surviving crew members hostage. They were released by the efforts of the Omani government in December 2025. The International Chamber of Shipping and the Baltic and International Maritime Council — a global shipping association representing shipowners, operators and…