UNIPATH STAFF Dozens of special operations troops from Uzbekistan and the United States performed a daring nighttime assault by helicopter on a hydroelectric dam to recapture it from terrorist insurgents. The simulated operation to seize the Grenada Dam in Mississippi was a highlight of Southern Strike 2021, a military exercise Uzbekistan uses to train some of its top troops. “For the third time Uzbekistan’s special forces participated in the Southern Strike joint exercise. This time officers of Uzbekistan’s Armed Forces and Mississippi National Guard exchanged their experience on counterterrorism operations at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center,” said Uzbek defense…
Unipath
The arrival of Pope Francis to Iraq in March 2021 provided a common rallying point for Iraqis of all sects and ethnicities. Unipath talked to Maj. Gen. Saad Maan, director of the Iraqi media and security cell, about the importance of Iraqi security for the pope’s visit. Unipath: How important was the pope’s historic visit to Iraq? Maj. Gen. Saad Maan: His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq was met with a remarkable welcome and joy not only from Christian citizens of Iraq but also from every religious sect and ethnic group in the country. His visit was a monumental event…
MOAMMAR AL-ERYANI, YEMENI MINISTER OF INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM At the end of each academic year, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia establishes thousands of what it calls “summer centers” in the occupied capital of Sanaa and other Yemeni governorates under its control. They use these centers to lure children under the age of 18 from their homes and classrooms, forcibly recruit them and mercilessly commit them to certain death on various battlefronts. In 2021, a Houthi leader announced the enrollment of 620,000 children in those centers under the supervision of Iranian Quds Force officer Hassan Irlu (who appears on lists of…
ISLAMIC MILITARY COUNTER TERRORISM COALITION Warfare has changed over the ages, beginning with the creation of professional armies in the 1600s. The 20th century saw the birth of a particular type of modern combat: guerrilla warfare. Guerrillas are armed groups that challenge the authority of regular armies using hit-and-run attacks to avoid direct combat with what they assume will be superior forces. It is no surprise that terrorist groups gravitate toward the guerrilla warfare model. Daesh, which claimed to have set up a “state” in Syria and in parts of Iraq, reverted to guerrilla methods once the international coalition expelled…
UNIPATH STAFF In the heat of a security crisis — be it a terrorist attack, ship hijacking or chemical explosion — multinational forces must respond smoothly and effectively together. Assembling such highly trained teams requires steadfast preparation of the sort provided by Invincible Sentry 21, the multinational exercise that took place in Qatar from March 21 to 25, 2021. Qatar and its neighbors in the Arabian Gulf face unique security challenges in a maritime environment threatened by violent extremist organizations. Aside from security obligations, such as defending ports, shipping channels and energy installations, Doha is also hosting the FIFA World…
JAVLON VAKHABOV, UZBEK AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES Thirty years may seem like a brief moment in time, but as Uzbekistan commemorated the 30th anniversary of our independence, I am reminded of the many successes, accomplishments, victories, and even tragedies that our nation has experienced in these years and how far we have come as a young nation with centuries-old historical roots. In three decades, Uzbekistan has gone from being a Soviet monocrop agricultural state to a self-sufficient sovereign country. In these 30 years we significantly liberalized our economy, and Uzbekistan recently joined the list of the top five fastest…
UNIPATH STAFF It was probably inevitable that, at end of a year in which the COVID-19 virus shut down the world, a military exercise would test its training audience in handling a potential epidemic. Such was the case with U.S. Central Command’s Regional Cooperation 21 exercise at Fort Harrison in Montana in June 2021 with troops from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the United States. While conducting patrols along an insecure national border prone to attacks by insurgent groups, 15 Mongolian troops complained of fever and nausea. Insurgents exploited the crisis to harass peacekeeping forces and plant improvised…
CAPT. SHEIKH MUBARAK ALI AL SABAH, FLOTILLA COMMANDER, KUWAIT COAST GUARD When I assumed command of Combined Task Force 152 (CTF 152) in February 2019, little did I know that my tenure would be among the most momentous in the history of the multinational naval coalition. As a Kuwait Coast Guard officer, I was proud to represent my country in defending the Arabian Gulf from terrorists, criminals and other malign actors. CTF 152 — part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain — consists of some of the world’s best naval staff, ships and maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Thorough preparation…
LT. COL. QUENTIN MCCART, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT DIVISION, THIRD ARMY/U.S. ARMY CENTRAL Building on the success of the 2020 Virtual Land Forces Intelligence Conference (VLFIC), United States Army Central (USARCENT) has made the online forum a permanent pillar of its partnership program. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the first VLFIC in October 2020, but its success encouraged participants to repeat the experiment six months later. Attendees at the March 2021 conference included regional intelligence professionals from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, France, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Yemen. Its theme…
Brig. Gen. RA’AD DOURA, COMMANDER, SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN RAPID INTERVENTION BRIGADE, JORDAN ARMED FORCES-ARAB ARMY Photos: JORDAN ARMED FORCES Some of Jordan’s best trained troops practiced repulsing an armed incursion over the country’s northern border in April 2021. Dubbed Nation Shield, the military exercise engaged the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Rapid Intervention Brigade and the King Abdullah II Special Forces Group in support of Jordan’s Border Guard Forces. Military commanders organized Nation Shield to gauge the readiness and capabilities of participating forces in carrying out joint duties and missions during a national emergency. Those missions…