Security Requires Anticipating the Actions of Terrorist and Nonstate Actors ISSAM ABBAS AMIN, SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE, IRAQI MINISTRY OF DEFENSE How sound is our intelligence in predicting events in our sometimes unpredictable world? The answer to this question is critical for security professionals in the Middle East and elsewhere. We must remember that wars are fought on a foundation of information, and that this foundation is growing ever more doubtful and uncertain. For these reasons, we must carefully examine the soundness of our intelligence service operations. The success of intelligence operations depends entirely on the availability of raw information…
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The director of the Jordan Military Center for Counter Terrorism and Extremism describes how his country confronts extremism UNIPATH STAFF Col. Ahmad Bassam Bani Amer leads the Jordan Military Center for Counter Terrorism and Extremism. This center was established in 2018 in response to the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein and the directives of the Jordanian state. It operates under the philosophy that the roots of extremism are ideological. So, in the long term, counterextremism and counterterrorism efforts must consist of intellectual and cultural confrontation with those forces preaching violence and anarchy. Col. Bani Amer described the…
The terrorist group can no longer occupy provinces or conduct large-scale operations IRAQI MAJ. GEN. TAHSIN IBRAHIM AL-KHAFAJI, JOINT OPERATIONS COMMAND SPOKESMAN Many wonder whether Daesh has the capability once again to conduct large-scale attacks or control territory and whether it can be a terrorist force capable of exerting pressure on regional and international security. The policy of moral confusion, dissension and mass killing as practiced by terrorist organizations affiliated with Daesh neither bears fruit nor yields results needed to wield lasting influence in places such as Iraq. Several reasons explain why Daesh cannot reemerge as strong as it once…
Global threats to computer networks require friendly nations to pool resources and share information BRIG. GEN. JETH REY, DIRECTOR OF COMMAND, CONTROL, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND Eighteen months after my attendance at the 2019 Central Region Cyber Conference (CRCC), the image that stands out in my mind is one of side-by-side collaboration. During a table-top exercise, cyber professionals from across the central region worked together to reveal gaps in our mutual defenses. The level of cooperation was remarkable. Since I became U.S. Central Command’s director of Command, Control, Communications and Computers Systems (J6), I continue to be…
The use of drones by malign actors is the latest in a series of evolving security challenges UNIPATH STAFF The rise of disruptive technology that alters the nature of the battlefield is a feature of conflicts over the past decade. In the Middle East and South and Central Asia, that technological disruption was visible in the use of smartphones for battlefield communication and global positioning, but also for spreading propaganda and recruiting terrorist fighters. Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were another relatively low-cost means by which enemy forces aimed to counter the military superiority of coalition partners in places such as…
UNIPATH STAFF As part of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) contribution to global space research, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre launched a rocket carrying the country’s first probe to Mars. The Hope Probe blasted off in July 2020 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. The solar-powered probe was built by the UAE Space Agency in cooperation with scientists at several U.S. universities. The 1,350-kilogram probe, made mostly of aluminum, will orbit the red planet gathering data on how Mars’ thin atmosphere retains and circulates gases such as oxygen. The United Arab Emirates has become a model for many states,…
The Jordan Armed Forces Specializes in Countering Ideological Extremism and Terrorism BRIG. GEN. TALAL ALI AL-GHEBEEN, DIRECTOR OF MORAL GUIDANCE, JORDAN ARMED FORCES Ideological extremism and terrorism represent a global phenomenon that threatens global security and stability. It is a danger that has grown over the past 20 years, does not recognize borders or distinguish between ethnicity or religion. Its most significant feature is the speed with which it spreads and the differing and varied methods it uses to spread its ideology and reach different countries. Tremendous technological development has contributed to this state of affairs. Jordan was one of the…
Vice Adm. Fahad Al-Ghofaily has spearheaded the modernization of Royal Saudi Naval Forces UNIPATH STAFF Admiral” derives from the old Arabic words emir al bahar, which literally mean “commander of the sea.” The title was historically linked to naval leaders who used the sea as their field of victory. A famous saying reads: “A smooth sea never makes a skilled Sailor.” The sea is known for being volatile, turbulent and unpredictable. A ship requires a skilled Sailor who tightly manages the helm, alert to the dangers of sailing and aware of enemies maliciously and relentlessly immobilizing ships and laying mines. In…
UNIPATH STAFF Iraq launched phase three of Operation Iraqi Heroes in June 2020 to sweep 4,483 square kilometers of Salah al-Din governorate in search of Daesh remnants. The goal was to capture terrorists, destroy their bunkers, remove explosives, and promote security and stability in the region. Remnants of Daesh have recently become more active and carried out sporadic attacks in the governorate, targeting security forces and civilians alike. When Daesh was defeated in December 2017 and lost the Iraqi territories it occupied, many fighters fled to remote, unpopulated regions. Taking advantage of the Iraqi security forces’ preoccupation with overseeing COVID-19…
In far-flung villages and under complete darkness, strong winds and torrential rains whipped the armed personnel carriers of the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces. Oman dispatched troops to Dhofar governorate, centered on the city of Salalah, to help alleviate suffering caused by a tropical cyclone that struck in May 2020. The Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense provided humanitarian assistance to residents of Dhofar. While the country’s 11th Infantry Brigade patrolled the region, the Royal Air Force of Oman carried out rescue operations for those trapped in cities and villages. Military engineers within the Ministry of Defense drained floodwaters…