Eagle Resolve 2013 Joins Militaries to Counter Security Threats With confidence and stealth, the special operations forces quietly moved into position. Their mission: Retake an airport control tower from terrorists who were holding civilians hostage, demanding money, political prisoners and a getaway plane in exchange for the captives. The terrorists thought they had the upper hand. But the multinational team of highly trained warriors had developed a plan to stop them. The team stormed the tower from multiple locations, then conducted a systematic search that quickly captured the five terrorists without injuring any civilians. Hailing from Jordan, Kuwait, the United…
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Jordanian border guards endure not just a wave of Syrian refugees but a surge in arms and narcotics trafficking Two white flatbed trucks appear on the horizon, bounding over a dirt road through a wheat field that marks Syria and Jordan’s international boundary. At an outpost on a nearby knoll, two helmeted Jordanian border guards, rifles at the ready, squint at the new arrivals through the glare of the setting sun. Like many sections of the 378-kilometer border between Jordan and Syria, this stretch of frontier is a haunt for drug trafficckers, weapons smugglers and political and religious extremists eager…
PAKISTANI BRIG. GEN. ZAHID JAMIL AHMAD Pakistan’s commitment to promoting international peace and prosperity stems from the vision of its Founding Father, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who said, in February 1948: “Our foreign policy is one of friendliness and goodwill towards all the nations of the world. We believe in the principle of honesty and fair play in national and international dealings and are prepared to make our utmost contribution to the promotion of peace and prosperity among the nations of the world. Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending its material and moral support to the oppressed and…
Cooperative mil-to-mil engagements lay the foundation for diplomatic and political initiatives Heat waves shimmered off the tarmac as it baked under a relentless sun. Palm trees swayed in a blast of hot wind. Suddenly a squadron of United Arab Emirates F-16 Desert Falcons screamed into the air, assembling into a strike force tasked with destroying an enemy munitions depot. As the Falcons headed to their target, relentless enemy aircraft dogged them. But the Emirati pilots managed to evade, and even destroy, one of the aggressors. They completed their mission and returned to the base in triumph, where they received a…
The region shares a common interest in expanding trade and marginalizing violent extremism Unipath Staff With a throaty whistle and flash of fresh blue paint, a diesel locomotive tugging a train of box and tanker cars rolls through a railway station in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The 75-kilometer stretch of track from the Uzbek border to Mazar-e Sharif that opened in 2012, the first international railway in the nation’s history, could be the start of a transportation revolution that helps solidify Afghanistan as a trade and communications hub. “This connects Afghanistan to the world,” an 18-year-old high school student named…
Nations Unite for Mine Countermeasures Exercise UNIPATH STAFF Hidden beneath the surface of the sea, thousands of deadly mines wait for their targets, threatening global commerce and the lives of mariners. Neutralizing these water-borne threats is no easy feat, but nations have recognized the need for a cooperative approach to keeping the seas safe. Military officials and maritime experts from more than 40 countries gathered May 6 to 30 for the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2013 (IMCMEX), an event that drew countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This was the largest anti-mine exercise in the region, bringing together…
CPL. FENTON REESE/U.S. MARINE CORPS In January 2013, more than 450 representatives from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and 24 other nations gathered in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) for Leading Edge 13, an interagency counterproliferation exercise designed to bolster joint military coordination and cooperation. Co-hosted by the U.A.E. and U.S., the 2013 event was attended by law-enforcement, customs, military and other international partners. Although this year’s scenarios concentrated on maritime examples, future drills will feature aerial and ground transport systems. Previous Leading Edge exercises were held in 2006 and 2010. The exercise series is part…
UNIPATH STAFF With their experience in the private sector, two Qatari Armed Forces doctors helped make the link between the civil and military worlds during Eagle Resolve. Qatari Army Capt. Dr. Madiha K. al-Nobi and Qatari 1st Lt. Dr. Kholoud al-Subaey worked with a multinational team in the exercises command post medical cell to overcome a wide variety of simulated crises, including an outbreak of coronavirus and mass casualties from a missile attack. They also conducted a mock media briefing on how the public can protect itself from a chemical attack. Like many on the team, the two women used…
UNIPATH STAFF A missile carrying sulfur mustard explodes in the exclusive residential Pearl-Qatar waterfront shopping district. Men, women and children struggle with shrapnel wounds as well as the onset of blisters and other symptoms caused by the chemical warfare agent. Before the missile even landed, the Qatari Armed Forces and coalition members prepared to respond. Their intelligence had warned of the imminent attack, and radar confirmed the missile launch. Harnessing all of their resources, military officials coordinated a massive interagency and multinational response as part of the broad consequence-management training umbrella of the Eagle Resolve 2013 military exercises. Seconds after…
A Multinational naval exercise off the Pakistani coast attracts participants from six continents UNIPATH STAFF Chopper blades whipped the waves. Destroyers and corvettes cut the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. Commandoes slipped down ropes and stormed beachheads while naval gunners picked off floating targets. In contrast to this display of military muscle on the seas, the talk on land centered on peace, partnerships and shared sacrifice. The scene was the fourth iteration of the AMAN multinational exercises, a gathering of naval forces from dozens of countries hosted biennially since 2007 by Pakistan, a nation whose window on the world…