UNIPATH STAFF Kuwait hosted visits by U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Joseph Votel in December 2017 amid continued cooperation between U.S. and Kuwaiti military units on the ground. Mattis, who met with Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Minister of Defense Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, praised the role Kuwait has played since its liberation in 1991. “It’s a very open, transparent, honest relationship,” the U.S. defense secretary said. “They’ll tell you what they think right up front about any issue if asked, and we do ask them. Routinely,…
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UNIPATH STAFF The Saudi Royal Land Forces and the Pakistan Army conducted three weeks of training in October 2017 called Al-Samsam 6. The exercise featured live ammunition, aerial assaults, dealing with improvised explosive devices, ambushes, raids and combat patrols. “The drills were characterized by seriousness and integration, in command and control, standardization of common military concepts and terminology and implementation of professional training,” said Saudi Brig. Gen. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Buqmmi, commanding officer of the exercise. The Saudi Press Agency noted the harmonious integration of the two countries’ forces and their ability to hit targets with precision. The concluding drill…
UNIPATH STAFF Kazakhstan is taking the fight against terrorism to the Caspian Sea, opening a coastal naval headquarters that will coordinate and conduct military operations against potential threats to shipping and oil and gas installations. “To date, all headquarters that operate in the state cover only the terrestrial territory. We do not have staffs on the sea side. Therefore, legislatively, we want to consolidate the possibility of carrying out anti-terrorist measures at sea,” said Daulet Yergozhin, deputy chairman of the National Security Committee, which approved the new naval headquarters. The headquarters’ responsibilities will include protecting offshore platforms and seagoing ships…
UNIPATH STAFF In yet another effort to improve combat readiness of its Armed Forces, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted the Iron Union 5 military exercise with U.S. partners at the Al Hamra Training Center. Maj. Gen. Saleh al-Amiri, commander of UAE ground forces, lauded such joint exercises as a way to raise the performance and efficiency of the Armed Forces to defend the Arabian Gulf nations from potential threats. Such exercises also provide opportunities for the UAE to build better relationships and overcome cultural and language barriers with the armed forces of friendly countries such as the United States.…
UNIPATH STAFF Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev committed his country to better military and economic relations with Afghanistan during a December 2017 visit by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The countries reached agreements on trade, education, health care, and the formation of a joint commission to boost security along the Uzbek-Afghan border. The issues of terrorism, extremism and narcotics trafficking were also on the presidential agenda at the meeting in Tashkent. Deals also included construction of a new electrical transmission line from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan and construction of a rail line between the Afghan cities of Herat and Mazar-e Sharif. President Mirziyoyev…
UNIPATH STAFF Discussion of current events — including the victory over Daesh in Iraq and the civil war in Yemen — occupied the attention of regional leaders meeting in Bahrain in December 2017 for the 13th edition of the Manama Dialogue. The annual security summit attracted leaders from 20 countries to address topics such as counterterrorism; conflict resolution in Syria, Yemen and Iraq; the security implications of economic reform; and political and military responses to extremism. Dr. Anwar Mohammad Gargash, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs and international cooperation, stressed that Arab states can no longer…
UNIPATH STAFF The Lebanese Army has received its first allotment of two A-29 Super Tucano light combat aircraft from the United States. The arrival of the aircraft boosts Lebanon’s ability to fight terrorists, defend its borders, conduct reconnaissance and support ground troops. The planes are equipped with machine guns and can be adapted to fire laser-guided missiles. The two aircraft, flown by pilots trained in the U.S., are the first of six Super Tucanos promised in 2018. The aircraft has served successfully in tumultuous regions such as Afghanistan, whose hilly terrain and hot summers duplicate those of Lebanon. The Lebanese…
UNIPATH STAFF His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan and Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon met in Amman to discuss improving relations and increasing security between the two nations. The December 2017 talks led to agreements in the fields of economics, trade, science, technology, tourism, culture and agriculture. One outcome will be the formation of a joint Jordanian-Tajikistani business council. The talks were followed by a communiqué in which the two countries announced plans to bolster cooperation by creating a Jordanian-Tajikistani parliamentary friendship committee and boosting political relations by coordinating their foreign affairs ministries and embassies. President Rahmon,…
UNIPATH STAFF Kyrgyzstan and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are partnering to protect some of the country’s biggest strategic assets: its hydroelectric dams and power stations. The OSCE Programme Office has donated video surveillance equipment to the National Guard of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan to enhance the Tash-Kuymr and Kurpsai power stations. Two other large hydroelectric stations in the country, Shamaldysai and Uch-Korgon, received security cameras several years ago. “Improving operational readiness and the protection of critical energy facilities is one of the key objectives of the country,” said Almazbek Karasartov, commander of the Kyrgyzstan…
UNIPATH STAFF Improving Oman’s response to cyber attacks was the goal of the country’s fourth National Cyber Security Drill, which involved 34 government agencies. Millions of attacks target Oman’s networks annually. The three-day drill, held in October 2017 by Oman’s Information Technology Authority (ITA) through its Computer Emergency Response Team (OCERT), tested the readiness of governmental institutions to fend off such attacks. It also enhanced coordination between OCERT and the private sector. OCERT head Eng Bader Ali al Salhi noted that Oman had investigated more than 1,800 security incidents through the first 10 months of 2017. It has also issued…