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…
Unipath
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…
UNIPATH STAFF In early 2020, as the African sun blazed above the town of Adikivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 15 Pakistani women collected a distinguished honor. As members of Pakistan’s first female engagement team on a United Nations peacekeeping mission, these military officers appeared in dress uniforms to receive medals for their unique service. They were physicians, nurses, engineers, psychologists, lawyers and teachers: All deployed to the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Their special focus was women and children, victims whose needs are too often overlooked with the cessation…
MAJ. GEN. MOHAMMED ZAID MAHMOUD IBRAHIM, YEMENI DEFENSE ATTACHE TO THE UNITED STATES When ancient man began his journey toward building society, he first formed families, then clans, then tribes. It was clear that an individual needed to exist within a body of people that would provide him with protection from inherent dangers and power imbalances should he try to engage the world by himself. The strength of the clan is paramount when its members, individually or collectively, are exposed to imminent danger and try to gain membership to a group in which they find safety and comfort. Yet these…
PROFESSOR ASAAD KAZEM SHABIB, FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF KUFA, IRAQ The theological and doctrinal literature traditionally used by radical Islamist organizations has been a primary cause for the rise of extremism. These organizations’ understanding of theological and doctrinal statements, stripped of context in texts written by preachers and jurists to address specific cases, has given birth to a literalist text-based mentality that interprets political, social, cultural and religious complexities on the basis of these statements. Therefore, these texts have had, and continue to have, a direct impact on the rise of extremism. To understand how this brand of…
UNIPATH STAFF His striking calmness during the heat of battle reveals leadership skills and self-confidence prized among field commanders. His humility and ethics have made him a highly respected figure among Soldiers and commanders. He frequently visits the front lines and personally follows up the requests of Soldiers. He is Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, Iraqi Army chief of staff. During the liberation battles against Daesh terrorist gangs, Army commanders encountered difficult times. But Gen. Yarallah exhibited nerves of steel and military acumen in managing battles. As he walked around the command-and-control center at the Joint Operations Command, his…
UNIPATH STAFF To enhance its ability to sustain operations against illicit states and nonstate actors, the Egyptian Navy conducted passing exercises (PASSEX) with partners in the U.S. and French navies in the Red Sea in March 2021. The PASSEX jointly conducted by the Egyptian guided-missile frigate ENS Sharm El-Sheikh and U.S. amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset focused on navigating in close proximity and conducting maritime missions together. The Egyptian-French PASSEX took place in the Egyptian Southern Fleet area of responsibility and included Egyptian frigate Sajam Al-Fateh and French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle — the only nuclear-powered…
UNIPATH STAFF As a testament to its readiness to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the country successfully managed a preliminary international football tournament that occupied two stadiums in February 2021. Six international soccer clubs competed in the weeklong 17th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 tournament: Al Duhail Sports Club, Qatar; Al Ahly Sporting Club, Egypt; Football Club Bayern Munich, Germany; Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, Brazil; Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Mexico; and Ulsan Hyundai Football Club, South Korea. Education City Stadium, which opened in 2020, and Ahmed bin Ali Stadium provided…
UNIPATH STAFF Reaffirming its commitment to the security of Iraq and its ability to suppress terrorism, the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh provided the Iraqi Armed Forces equipment and weapons worth $5 million in March 2021. “The Iraqi security forces received equipment, weapons and vehicles to support counterterrorism operations, estimated at $5 million from the Global Coalition forces,” said Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the commander in chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. The equipment is designed to support the country in its mission to eliminate Daesh and is part of a program launched in 2014 at the…
UNIPATH STAFF The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) and its partner, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, cleared mines to defend shipping lanes, boarded suspicious vessels and protected ports as part of the Neon Defender 21 exercise in April 2021. The bilateral, four-day exercise created scenarios in which Bahraini and U.S. Sailors could test their ability to operate together during military conflict. In addition to the familiar simulations, the 2021 exercise included for the first time Bahraini and U.S. pilots destroying maritime targets from the air. “This year’s iteration of Neon Defender was the largest in the series of exercises we regularly…