Middle Eastern leaders work to strengthen cyber security by sharing information UNIPATH STAFF Cyber security cannot simply depend on highly trained technicians scouring networks for malicious infiltrations. Nor can security be achieved by brilliant software engineers who design virtually impenetrable networks. It takes the combined efforts of policy leaders, industry innovators, academic researchers, tradecraft specialists, military officials and regular employees across the full spectrum of government and business to defend against the advanced and persistent threats from hackers, malign state actors and cyber criminals. That is why the ninth annual Central Region Cybersecurity Conference (CRCC) — hosted by U.S. Central…
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Iraq’s defense academies have upgraded training and curriculum to reflect unique security needs The foundation for building a disciplined and professional force requires preparing and training professional officers who believe in military doctrine, uphold military honor and abide by rules of engagement. It was truly heroic how the Iraqi Ministry of Defense Training Directorate rebuilt the Iraqi Army within a short time under fragile security conditions as Daesh controlled parts of the country. Unipath interviewed Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Training Lt. Gen. Salahdeen Mustafa Kamal about rebuilding units and preparing professional officers for the demands of modern militaries.…
United Arab Emirates celebrates the Year of Tolerance by welcoming the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar UNIPATH STAFF His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, announced that 2019 would be a Year of Tolerance, with the UAE serving as a global capital of tolerance and affirming the values of dialogue, pluralism, acceptance of others and openness to different cultures. The country didn’t wait long to affirm what those values mean in practice. Pope Francis held a Christian service attended by more than 150,000 worshipers in Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu…
Military Intelligence Leaders Focus on Building Relationships and Sharing Knowledge UNIPATH STAFF | Photos by U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND Like connecting pieces of a puzzle, military intelligence professionals stress the importance of collecting and sharing information to comprehend the big picture. The goal is to prevent terrorist attacks, anticipate enemy actions and strengthen national security. Addressing common security challenges, military intelligence leaders from the Middle East and North Africa met from March 31 to April 3, 2019, for U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) inaugural Middle East Directors of Military Intelligence Conference. Held in the United States in Tampa, Florida, the three-day conference…
The country modernizes its Armed Forces based on the demands of regional stability PROFESSOR MURAD IBRAGIMOV, HEAD OF MILITARY SECURITY DEPARTMENT, ACADEMY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UZBEKISTAN In the current globalization and transformation of the system of international relations, the world’s military-political situation is characterized by expanding challenges and threats to international and regional security. We can observe an intensification of geopolitical confrontation; a predominance of the power approach to the resolution of conflicts and crises; a lowering of the threshold for the use of force, including certain weapons of mass destruction; militarization; an intensification of international terrorism and…
The Kingdom Welcomes Women into the Elite Bahrain Royal Guard UNIPATH STAFF | Photos: Bahrain Royal Guard His Royal Highness Maj. Gen. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa honored female members of Bahrain’s Royal Guard who completed specialized military training in April 2019. Sheikh Nasser, commander of the Royal Guards, praised the role of the Bahraini military women, particularly in the fields of combating terrorism, conducting searches and verifying the identity of veiled women. Because Arab and Islamic traditions do not allow men to search women, terrorists sometimes disguise themselves in women’s clothing and enlist women to smuggle weapons and…
International cooperation is part of the country’s national counterterrorism strategy SALTANAT BERDIKEEVA | Photos by SGT. 1ST CLASS TY MCNEELEY/U.S. ARMY In July 2018, four bicyclists visiting from the West, including the United States, were murdered in the Danghara district in Tajikistan’s southern Khatlon province. It was a jarring event in a country that has safely provided for hundreds of thousands of tourists. Days later, Tajik government forces killed four suspects who had resisted arrest, tried two other suspects, and charged 14 more people with providing material support to the perpetrators. A group affiliated with Daesh took responsibility for the…
Qatari and U.S. Special Forces Practice Counterterrorism in This Bilateral Military Exercise UNIPATH STAFF Qatari and U.S. special forces helicopters, snipers and assault teams closed in on Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. It was part of a training scenario — meant to mimic the setting of World Cup 2022 — that Qatar requested in preparation for the celebrated international football tournament. Invincible Sentry 19, an annual crisis response exercise sponsored by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), attracted hundreds of troops from Qatari Joint Special Forces and U.S. special forces from March 21 to 27, 2019. Soldiers conducted operations across Qatar focused…
Middle Eastern maritime forces support greater regional cooperation to defend critical infrastructure UNIPATH STAFF Shielded by the suppressing fire of patrol boats, a squad of Royal Jordanian Marines completed an amphibious landing, pressing their advantage in a blaze of machine guns and grenades. That was the signal for MV-22 Ospreys — their blades chopping the cloudless south Jordanian skies — to deploy U.S. Marines to reinforce the assault on Aqaba harbor. Working impressively as one team on the land, in the air and from the sea, the Royal Jordanian and U.S. Marines demonstrated the advantages of maritime partnerships to leverage…
A political settlement that honors the country’s Constitution would improve life in the region AHMAD FARID FOROZI PROGRAM MANAGER, Equality for peace and Democracy Afghanistan was largely a peaceful country until the end of Sardar Daoud Khan’s rule in 1978. Following the intrusion of the former Soviet Union in Afghan politics, and later its invasion, Afghanistan and its people have become victims of continuous armed conflicts and insecurity. The ongoing conflict created a situation in which Afghan society, particularly youths, became radicalized by foreign groups that initially arrived in Afghanistan to oppose the Soviet invasion. National and transnational radical groups…