Pakistan Armed Forces Gen. Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), shall be commemorated as a leader whose foremost commitment resides in the security, stability and prosperity of Pakistan. Since his assumption of command in November 2022, Gen. Asim Munir has charted a course that has spanned from resolute military actions against extremist outfits to astute military diplomacy. Gen. Asim Munir graduated from the 17th Officers Training Course, Mangla, and was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour. Commissioned in the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment, he has held esteemed positions across a spectrum of operational and command assignments. He has…
Unipath
I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to United States Central Command for publishing this issue of Unipath magazine that addresses the need for confronting violent terrorist organizations. The Yemeni state was aware of the danger of the Houthi terrorist organization early on and confronted it 20 years ago. The battles continue to this day. The group was able to expand the scope of its rebellion until it toppled the government and took control of the capital Sanaa and other Yemeni cities in 2014 by taking advantage of the fragility of the political system and unlimited support from Iran.…
The Iraqi Border Guard Command Modernizes Methods To Stop Terrorists And Smugglers After Daesh’s military defeat in Iraq and the drying up of its sources of funding, terrorist groups have turned to self-financing by manufacturing and smuggling narcotics. The region has witnessed an unprecedented increase in drug abuse and trafficking, adding to concerns and making border control a matter of urgency for security services. Iraq has completed important projects to control its borders with Syria, a conduit through which Daesh terrorist groups conducted their 2014 invasion of Iraq. Unipath met with Lt. Gen. Muhammad Sukkar Al-Saidi, commander of the Iraqi Border Guards, to…
The United Arab Emirates seeks constructive engagement from global partners to help stabilize the Middle East DR. ANWAR GARGASH, DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The Manama Dialogue offers us an important platform to share our perspectives on regional and global security dynamics. I believe conversations like these are valuable, particularly at such a critical juncture in our region in light of the war in Gaza. This war has caused a serious humanitarian crisis, calls into question aspirations for stability in our region and brings new strategic challenges to the global stage. While it is perhaps too early to…
A summit in Jeddah reinforces economic and cultural ties between the regions UNIPATH STAFF Central Asian nations established relations with Arabian Gulf countries shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Initially centered around the energy trade, infrastructure development and economic ties, these connections have evolved to encompass political and diplomatic initiatives, as well as shared religious affinities. The relations between the two regions have developed significantly in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The inaugural Gulf Cooperation Council-Central Asia summit, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2023, marked a critical moment in this…
Unipath Staff Iraqi, Kuwaiti and U.S. Forces Duplicate Real-World Threats During Maritime Security Training Maritime forces from Iraq, Kuwait and the United States completed a two-day trilateral exercise focusing on counterpiracy and maritime security in the Northern Arabian Gulf. The October 2023 exercise featured ships from all three countries. The Kuwait Coast Guard and Navy supplied patrol boats, a speedboat, a supply ship and a helicopter, and conducted joint patrols with two Iraqi patrol boats and the U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutters Robert Goldman and Clarence Sutphin Jr. The training missions focused on visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS)…
OSAMA MOBAREZ, SECRETARY-GENERAL, EAST MEDITERRANEAN GAS FORUM Forthe past four years, the world has witnessed consecutive challenges and crises, starting with the COVID pandemic and then the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, and also the Israeli-Hamas conflict and a very divided and polarized world. All these challenges have been sweeping the world, changing the norms and the way we do business. Energy has been at the forefront of all these crises, and we face an energy “trilemma” of energy security, energy sustainability and energy affordability. I believe the key to facing these challenges is collaboration, an example of which is the…
Kazakhstani and U.S. Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs Have Cleaned up Nuclear and Biological Waste Sites U.S. DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY After the 1991 disintegration of the Soviet Union and Russia’s subsequent hasty withdrawal, Kazakhstan’s new government faced tremendous challenges dealing with environmental reclamation, the closure of dangerous weapons of mass destruction (WMD) facilities, and health problems associated with a population that had been exposed to 40 years of WMD storage and testing. Quickly recognizing the scope of these problems, Kazakhstan reached out to the United States and the international community for help. Over more than 30 years of partnership and…
MAJ. GEN. MUSAAD EL-SHESHTAWY, EGYPTIAN ARMED FORCES The joint Egyptian-American Bright Star exercise is one of the largest and most important military exercises in the Middle East. Since 1980, Bright Star has sought to exchange expertise in several areas and strengthen cooperation to confront challenges, terrorism being one of them. Terrorism consumes those who produce it, those who harbor it, and those who support it. It has no nationality or religion. It is a global threat to both human existence and civilization. It has already affected every nation and community, and even great powers have not been immune to its…
A delegation of senior Iraqi officers tours the U.S. Army’s National Training Center Unipath Staff | Photos by U.S. Army National Training Center A high-level delegation from the Iraqi Ground Forces Command visited the U.S. Army’s National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California, from February 7 to 12 to inspect the training center’s techniques and facilities. The visit included several lectures on the role of the NTC in training units before sending them on missions in their various spheres of operation. The delegation also met with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Curt Taylor, commander of NTC/Fort Irwin, who accompanied them on a…