UNIPATH STAFF Kuwait’s Saad Al Abdullah Academy for Security Studies graduated nearly 1,000 new police officers during a COVID-19-curtailed ceremony in March 2021. It was the police academy’s largest graduating class ever. Kuwaiti Minister of Interior His Highness Sheikh Thamir Ali Al Sabah Al Salim Al Sabah, who witnessed the ceremony, announced that Kuwait University would accept the police academy’s top 45 graduates should they want to pursue higher education. Lt. Ahmed Al-Kindi, who placed first in his graduating class, thanked his instructors for preparing cadets for assignments that include preventing the spread of COVID-19. “My joy today is…
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UNIPATH STAFF The Jordanian government approved a 15-year security agreement with the United States that provides for cooperation on military training, logistics and transportation, The deal, approved in March 2021, grants the U.S. Armed Forces greater access to specific Jordanian military sites for purposes of training, military exercises, logistics support, aircraft refueling, maintenance of military equipment and temporary lodging of troops. During the Jordanian Parliament session in which the agreement was discussed, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi praised the decades of successful military and security cooperation and partnership between Amman and Washington. As important…
UNIPATH STAFF The threat of digital disinformation was the subject of an Omani conference attended by researchers from 20 countries. The 3rd International Communications Technology Conference, organized by the Sultan Qaboos University’s Department of Mass Communication in March 2021, shed light on the transformations of the digital age and the rapid advancement of information technology. Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Harasi, Omani minister of information, underscored the importance of education and conventional communication media in protecting youth against conventional mass media campaigns he viewed as a byproduct of the spread of information technology. “The downside of modern communication media is that…
UNIPATH STAFF To promote bilateral military relations, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange military technology in April 2021. The agreement was signed by Maj. Gen. Mubarak Saeed Gafan Al Jabri, assistant undersecretary for support and defense industries in the UAE, and Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Salman Al Nuaimat, assistant chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Planning, Organization and Defense Resources in Jordan. “The signing of the memorandum coincides with the celebration of the centennial foundation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during which time it played an…
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to U.S. Central Command for inviting me to write the opening article for this issue, titled “Preventing a Resurgence of Violent Extremism.” Lebanon’s geopolitical position, an important location on the eastern border of the Mediterranean Sea, serves as a bridge between both sides of the globe. However, although it is considered a source of wealth for Lebanon, geography has been, and still is, subject to various challenges, terrorism included. The Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) stated mission is to “defend the nation, preserve sovereignty and the state’s authority, protect the constitution, preserve…
Story and photos by IRAQI COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE The effectiveness of the war against terrorist groups is heavily dependent on careful intelligence work and the tracking of an organization’s high-level leadership. This inherently complex work requires exhaustive, long hours to identify high-level leaders, determine their whereabouts and the nature of their operations, and learn how they communicate with their subordinates to conduct operations. At the most basic level, intelligence officers need to win the hearts of the people because they are the ones who possess key information that leads to terrorist hideouts. In this light, information provided by ordinary citizens to…
Lt. Col. Ghassan Altassan, Saudi Senior Representative to U.S. Central Command Terrorist movements such as al-Qaida and Daesh managed to recruit tens of thousands of followers using emotionally laden narratives that speak to the fears, beliefs and prejudices of psychologically vulnerable people. Through such storytelling — which included more than 800 videos broadcast online — terrorists sought not just to shape attitudes of recruits, but to alter their behavior in the direction of violence. Very little of this online content was specifically religious. According to the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies, religion accounted for only 2% of Daesh propaganda on the…
DILNOZA MANSUROVA, TAJIKISTAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Radicalization, extremism and terrorism remain global problems: Their prevention has become a matter of national importance for many countries, including the Republic of Tajikistan. Over the past year, with nations prioritizing the COVID-19 pandemic, they paid less attention to the activities of terrorists, and members of terrorist organizations took advantage. Because of border closures and restricted movements from one country to another, terrorist organizations have changed their tactics, favoring virtual networks on the internet to recruit and train supporters. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed acute problems, including the danger of new forms of…
UNIPATH STAFF | Photos by The Associated Press With ambitions to expand its fleet to combat common threats on the seas, Pakistan hosted the AMAN-21 naval exercise along with dozens of maritime partners in the Arabian Sea. In its seventh iteration since 2007, AMAN included displays of naval gunnery, maritime search and rescue missions, beach raids, aerial reconnaissance, and an international fleet review in the waters off Karachi in February 2021. “The AMAN-21 drills, under the slogan of Together for Peace, demonstrate Pakistan’s commitment to peace, reinforce regional maritime security, and enhance interoperability between regional and extraregional navies,” Chief of…
IRAQI MAJ. GEN. (RET.) LUTFI ABDULWAHAB HUSSEIN Achieving air sovereignty requires the state to mobilize materiel and morale to achieve a proper balance among all branches of the armed forces. The history of the Air Force in Iraq provides lessons — both helpful and harmful — that can inform the conduct of future generations of military and political leaders. The Iraqi Air Force emerged triumphant from its long war with Iran in the 1980s, but much of that local military superiority was squandered during the occupation of Kuwait in 1991, which led to the destruction of half Iraq’s air strength.…