UNIPATH STAFF Kazakh Ambassador to the United States Yerzhan Ashikbayev, along with singers from Kazakhconcert, visited Phoenix, Arizona, to mark the 30-year partnership between Kazakhstan and the Arizona National Guard under the U.S. State Partnership Program (SPP). As part of the program, Kazakh and United States officials participated in cultural events, public exhibitions and a concert in Phoenix between November 30 and December 3, 2023. During his speech, Ambassador Ashikbayev expressed gratitude for 30 years of successful partnership that contributed to strengthening relations between Kazakhstan and the Arizona National Guard. Commander of the Arizona National Guard Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck praised…
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UNIPATH STAFF I llegal Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have not only spread insecurity in the region but also threaten to create an environmental crisis for neighboring countries. On September 2, 2024, the Iran-backed Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, the Blue Lagoon I and the Amjad, with two ballistic missiles and an uncrewed aerial system, hitting both vessels. Two weeks earlier, the Houthis attacked the Delta Sounion, setting it on fire, but the salvage operations on that vessel were deemed unsafe and called off on September 4, according to the World Cargo News website. Together, the vessels were…
UNIPATH STAFF In a preemptive operation code-named “Promise of Truth,” the Iraqi Armed Forces eliminated several Daesh operatives in Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Salah al-Din governorates in March 2024. At least 10 terrorists were killed, including the wali (the historical Islamic word for governor) of Al-Jazeera and Al-Baaj, two of his assistants, as well as two others in Rawa district killed in an airstrike. Iraq ordered the strikes after intelligence confirmed Daesh was plotting attacks during Ramadan. By intensifying attacks during religious celebrations, the terrorist group tries to inspire supporters and terrorize citizens to turn them against their government and…
U.S. NAVAL FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS Naval forces from Pakistan and the United States completed the four-day bilateral training exercise Inspired Union 2024 in Karachi in May 2024. Inspired Union focused on maritime interdiction operations; explosive ordinance disposal; mine countermeasure tactics, techniques and procedures; and harbor security. The exercise created opportunities for improving readiness, enhancing maritime security and stability and promoting freedom of navigation in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. “Exercises like Inspired Union continue to improve our readiness and interoperability in the maritime domain,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Robert Porter, commodore of Task Force 52. “Pakistan…
UNIPATH STAFF Turkmenistan formally joined an international convention meant to ensure security and safety in the event of a nuclear or radiological disaster. In a ceremony at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, Turkmen government officials presented signed documents that bound the country to the terms of the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency. These conventions were adopted in 1986 and stipulate that countries quickly and effectively share information and assist each other during a nuclear or radiation incident that…
A NATO delegation visited Uzbekistan to reaffirm the alliance’s partnership with Tashkent in the wake of changing security dynamics in the region. Director-General of the NATO International Military Staff Lt. Gen. Janusz Adamczyk highlighted NATO’s ongoing engagement and cooperation with Uzbekistan, including the country’s ongoing participation in the Partnership for Peace initiative. “NATO remains committed to maintaining robust political dialogue and practical cooperation with Uzbekistan. This partnership is vital to promoting security and stability in the region and highlights our commitment to addressing common challenges as well as fostering positive developments in the Central Asia region,” Lt. Gen. Adamczyk said. Lt.…
Qatar hosted the eighth Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference (DIMDEX) in March 2024 to highlight ways to protect shipping in the region. The biennial event, held over three days, is a platform for industry professionals and military and government officials to showcase products, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges and opportunities in the realm of maritime defense. Two hundred companies showcased their products in nine pavilions occupied by countries such as Qatar, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany. Countries also displayed warships and submarines at Hamad Port in the Arabian Gulf. Representative from Qatar’s Navy,…
UNIPATH STAFF March 2024, the U.S. State Department approved a potential deal worth $2.2 billion to sell 50 M1 Abrams battle tanks and other equipment to the Kingdom of Bahrain. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency noted in a news release. The visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain Salman bin…
UNIPATH STAFF Seventy-two military vehicles carrying hundreds of U.S. Marines rumbled to life at the break of dawn, their silhouettes splayed across the glowing horizon harboring the Saudi sun. In a military camp outside of Yanbu on the Red Sea, tires churned desert dust as the convoy streamed onto a highway that climbed into the barren highlands outside the city. Over the next two weeks, the U.S. military convoy, accompanied by Saudi and Emirati partners, skirted mountains, lava fields and sand dunes on a military exercise that would take it across the width of the Arabian Peninsula. It was all…
MAJ. GEN. KHALED ALSHRIAAN, COMMANDER, KUWAIT AIR DEFENSE FORCE Integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) is essential in peacetime and conflict and is the ideal solution to counter emerging and future aerial threats. It achieves integration and interoperability among all defensive systems to protect vital and strategic areas from aerial threats. The development of air threats using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), cruise missiles (CM), and tactical ballistic missiles (TBM) is occurring rapidly and is being used widely and effectively by various actors. UAS improve tactical and technical parameters as well as reduce radar and thermal signatures and may grow in…