SGT. 1st class abram pinnington/u.s. army Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) accounted for 63 percent of all casualties sustained by the Afghanistan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Forces from January 2008 to September 2012, according to a report by icasualties.org. Equipped with this knowledge and encouraged by the success of the coalition’s route-clearance companies, the Afghan National Army (ANA) leadership identified counter-IED training as a top priority. The ANA now offers a six-week counter-IED course at Camp Parsa in Khost province. The training gives Afghan troops a critical capability in sustaining unilateral operations and providing security for Afghanistan. “We…
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Bahrain is the gracious host of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 27-nation coalition that joins forces to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, enhance regional cooperation and promote a safe maritime environment. “As an island nation, we understand the importance of the sea, whether it be for trade, defense or travel. The Arabian Gulf is one of the most important maritime regions in the world and plays a key role in global trade and, by extension, the world economy. Maritime security in these waters is therefore important not just to Gulf nations, but also the international community as a whole. ” —Col.…
The Egyptian and Turkish Navies held a weeklong joint drill in October 2012 in the eastern Mediterranean. The annual drill, called Sea of Friendship, began in 2009 to boost cooperation between the two countries. This year’s exercise involved five Egyptian Navy units as well as the Egyptian Air Force, and included search and rescue and counterpiracy operations. Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi attended the last day of the exercise and said Egypt’s military forces were prepared to thwart any attack, reported the Journal of Turkish Weekly. “Just as we do not attack anyone, we would not want anybody to attack us,”…
BAHRAIN NEWS AGENCYThe Bahraini Royal Air Force and Navy teamed with the Emirati Air Force to conduct the joint military drill Harar Al-Khaleej in April 2013. The drill included a number of joint sea and air military exercises, in addition to practical applications, tactical maneuvers, command-and-control exercises and fire management. The joint military action is designed to increase military efficiency and enhance combat readiness. The exercise also improves interoperability, integration and coordination between participating forces.
Saudi Arabia has high expectations for newly appointed Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Nayif bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, who led a crackdown on al-Qaida and survived a suicide bomb attack launched by the terrorists. The new minister, who had served as assistant minister for security affairs since 1999, has effectively led the kingdom’s fight against al-Qaida after a wave of deadly attacks between 2003 and 2006. He survived a suicide attack in August 2009 when a bomber managed to infiltrate the prince’s security detail and detonated his implanted explosives. Prince Mohammed suffered only superficial injuries, but apart from the…
Kazakh gas transport firm KazTransGas and Uzbek national oil and gas firm Uzbekneftegaz agreed in November 2012 to supply natural gas to southern Kazakhstan, KazTransGas said in a statement. Kazakhstan sits atop enormous gas reserves, but due to the size of the massive country — the ninth largest in the world — areas farthest from the oil and gas deposits are unable to benefit from the country’s natural resource wealth. Kazakhstan’s oil and gas fields are in the far west of the country, leaving the southeastern part of the territory dependent on Kyrgyz electricity exports and Uzbek gas exports to…
A military court in Tajikistan’s southern region of Khatlon sentenced five border guards to prison terms ranging from three to 21 years for smuggling drugs. The harshest sentence was given to Nizomiddin Yakubov, the former chief at the Vakhsh checkpoint on the Tajik-Afghan border. After a court session in November 2012, a judge told journalists that investigators found 20 kilograms (45 pounds) of hashish in Yakubov’s office earlier that year. The same month, a spokestman for Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that a top police official in Khatlon was arrested after investigators found 12…
LT. J.G. MELISSA MARTINELLI/U.S. COAST GUARD The Iraqi Navy, Kuwaiti Coast Guard and U.S. Coast Guard conducted their first trilateral theater security exercise in more than seven years. The September 2012 exercise consisted primarily of search and rescue and defensive maneuvers. Ultimately the exercise displayed the interoperability of forces within the Arabian Gulf. This is important since the area is the primary shipping lane for vital resources into and out of the Gulf states. “It was great working with Iraq and Kuwait members during the exercise. I look forward to future opportunities to build partnerships with them.”
Turkmenistan will begin construction of a pipeline to stream natural gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in 2017, announced Kakageldi Abdyllayew, acting minister of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry. Named for each of the four participating countries, the TAPI pipeline is expected to provide critical energy resources and fuel economic growth for each participant. The project, backed by the Asian Development Bank, has been in development since the mid-1990s. But security concerns over its route through Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan stalled the pipeline. When the Taliban crumbled in 2001, however, leaders began to revive the $7.6-billion project. In 2008, the…
UNIPATH STAFF The United Arab Emirates is creating a National Defense College to train the country’s next generation of military and civilian leaders. The institution is slated to open in August 2013 in Abu Dhabi. Under the command of the U.A.E. Armed Forces, the college will grant master’s and doctoral degrees in state resource management and strategic and security studies. Other fields of study may be added in the future. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the Armed Forces and crown prince of Abu Dhabi, will chair the school’s supreme council. Lt. Gen. Obaid Mohammed al-Ka’abi, undersecretary of…