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 Hamad Al Khalifa to Washington in September 2023 culminated in the U.S. launching the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) with Bahrain.
C-SIPA promotes cooperation across a range of areas such as defense and security, science, technology, and trade.
Partnership between Bahrain and U.S. dates to 1971, when diplomatic relations between the two nations were established after Bahrain’s independence from the United Kingdom. Since 1995, Bahrain has hosted the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and participates in U.S.-led military coalitions.
The country is also a staunch member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and receives support from its partner states in time of adversity.
Bahrain is an integral member of international counterterrorism efforts. It supported the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. It’s also a key member of Combined Maritime Forces to combat terrorism, piracy and smuggling at sea.
Most recently, it publicly backed the U.S. in Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect against Houthi attacks near Yemen in the Red Sea.
Sources: asharq.com, U.S. State Department, the White House, Breaking Defense