I would like to thank U.S. Central Command for the kind invitation to write the editorial for this issue of Unipath magazine discussing partnerships and international cooperation. We in Iraq saw the fruits of this as our partners stood beside us during the most dangerous phase in the history of modern Iraq, when Daesh gangs ripped through vast swathes of the country’s north and west. Thanks to the courage and steadfastness of our armed forces and the rapid response of coalition air power to halt the advance of the terrorist gangs, severing the enemy’s supply lines and command and control…
Unipath
UNIPATH STAFF The U.S. Air Force KC-10 aerial refueling tanker soars through the clear Egyptian sky above a distant patchwork of Nile Delta farmland. Matching the speed of the refueling aircraft, an Egyptian fighter pilot guides his F-16 Fighting Falcon beneath the KC-10. “Hold position,” says the U.S. refueling boom operator observing the link-up through the rear of the KC-10. “Copy,” the Egyptian pilot’s voice crackles over the radio. The refueling arm descends to the Egyptian F-16 until it reaches the fighter jet’s refueling port behind the cockpit. “Contact!” the boom operator announces as the refueling nozzle, capable of dispensing…
UNIPATH STAFF | Photos by CAPT. LUKE JEAN/U.S. ARMY The unmanned aerial vehicle circled overhead with an ominous hum that suggested potential disaster. Egyptian troops opened fire with their rifles — forcing the UAV into a crash landing in the desert — but not before the drone sprayed an Egyptian infantry company and their five trucks with an unknown agent. Investigators approached the smooth white wreckage of the drone with caution. As an Egyptian military truck marked off the crash site with yellow warning flags, a multinational reconnaissance team donned protective suits. The first step involved dispatching a remote-controlled tracked…
IRAQI COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE Owing to the varying ethnic and racial identities of a country whose boundaries have shifted from one civilization to another since antiquity, Iraq is defined by multiculturalism. Despite being a point of pride for an Iraqi society that has made it part of its own national and historic identity, such diversity can also present a fertile environment for the growth of competing religious, sectarian and political ideas and ideologies. Extremists can exploit these to spread division, transforming sectarian diversity into violent conflicts between ethnic and racial groups that close themselves off from one another to claim sole…
JORDAN ARMED FORCES The closeness of the U.S.-Jordanian maritime partnership that links the two sides in training and preparation is a result of the experience of the U.S. Navy in the maritime space internationally, the U.S. 5th Fleet’s regional presence, and the faith entrusted to the Royal Jordanian Navy through regional partnerships to lead Combined Task Force 151 from December 2021 to April 2022. This partnership was nurtured through regular joint naval military exercises. Key among these is the annual Infinite Defender exercise in which the Royal Jordanian Navy and its U.S. counterparts share experiences in planning, leadership and control,…
UNIPATH STAFF Iraq’s community policing program has demonstrated great success in prosecuting criminals, countering rumors, immunizing young people against the dangers of extremism and terrorism, and rehabilitating victims of drug addiction. Community police connect with citizens in their homes, in educational and health institutions, and in other state institutions to address issues at the ground level. Unipath met with Maj. Gen. Dr. Saad Maan, security advisor for the Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI), to discuss the role of community police. Unipath: What differentiates community police from local police? Maj. Gen. Saad: Community Police are a security organization within the MOI…
SHEIKH SALEM ABDULLAH AL JABER AL SABAH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, KUWAIT The state of Kuwait is nestled in the very heart of a vital, resource-rich region that has seen its fair share of instability. In this turbulent region and beyond, the state of Kuwait has long played its role in safeguarding regional and global political and energy stability. We have borne witness to the interconnectivity of markets and the collective nature of security. Ripples in Crimea lead to tsunamis in Cambridge and Massachusetts. No region is immune to the consequences of conflict. And energy prices, unfortunately, march forward to…
UNIPATH STAFF To keep pace with regional threats, Jordan focuses on developing security and defense-related strategies. The Jordan Armed Forces is considered one of the militaries that honed sophisticated capabilities and accumulated expertise. It is from this very experience, which Jordan is keen to share with its brothers and friends for the sake of a stable and secure region, that the Royal Jordanian National Defense College (RJNDC) emerged to become an edifice that prepares leaders of the future. Unipath met with Brig. Gen. Azzam Al-Rawahneh, commander of the National Defense College where, as is his custom, he welcomed Unipath with hospitality…
Counterterrorism relies on accurate intelligence work and the timely exchange of information between security services and friendly nations. Because terrorist groups hide among the local populace and use civilians as human shields, countries must emphasize rapid response efforts and high-level coordination between security services to protect the lives of citizens, preserve public property and prevent terrorist groups from implementing their plans. It was for these reasons that Jalmood 3 — the joint Bahraini-Emirati counterterrorism exercise — took place in November 2022. The final stage of the exercise was completed in the presence of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces His Majesty…
MOAMMAR AL-ERYANI, MINISTER OF INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM, REPUBLIC OF YEMEN On July 5, 2023, U.S. Central Command reported it had thwarted an Iranian attempt to seize Bahamas- and Marshall Islands-flagged oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. A day later, the U.S. 5th Fleet announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Navy (IRGC-N) had seized a merchant vessel in international waters near the Arabian Gulf and that the U.S. Navy had deployed ships in response. These incidents by the IRGC-N in international waters are not the first. Since 2021, Iran has targeted 20 commercial vessels in continuation of a pattern…