Cooperative Defense

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Eagle Resolve 2013 Joins Militaries to Counter Security Threats

With confidence and stealth, the special operations forces quietly moved into position. Their mission: Retake an airport control tower from terrorists who were holding civilians hostage, demanding money, political prisoners and a getaway plane in exchange for the captives. The terrorists thought they had the upper hand. But the multinational team of highly trained warriors had developed a plan to stop them.

The team stormed the tower from multiple locations, then conducted a systematic search that quickly captured the five terrorists without injuring any civilians. Hailing from Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, the men wore different uniforms, but their actions reflected the work of a unified and highly effective force: one team, one fight.

This mock scenario was one of many incorporated into Eagle Resolve 2013. Since 1999, Eagle Resolve has been one of the region’s premier military exercises, rotating annually among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This year’s event, hosted by Qatar, brought together 3,000 military personnel from 12 nations, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.

From April 21 to May 6, Qatari land, sea and airspace buzzed with action as forces worked to overcome a wide variety of potential security threats by increasing force proficiency, expanding cooperation, promoting interoperability and ultimately paving the way for long-term peace. Although much of the action took place in Qatar, several segments were hosted in neighboring Bahrain and the U.A.E.

Eagle Resolve 2013 included three segments: a command post exercise, field-training exercises and a senior leader seminar. Command post and field-training scenarios focused on integrated air and missile defense, critical infrastructure protection, counterterror tactics, border security and consequence management. They also included elements related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense efforts that reduce the vulnerability of forces and aim to provide advance warning. This allowed participants to train for asymmetrical threats and attacks aimed at civilians, such as a chemical attack on an urban center or the hijacking of a commercial aircraft. The event culminated with a combined live-fire exercise attended by Qatari Emir (heir apparent at the time) Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

By training together for these types of scenarios, militaries learn best practices and improve interoperability that would be necessary during a crisis, said Qatari Brig. Gen. Jassem A. al-Mohandi, deputy commander of Qatar’s National Defense and Crises Management Center and lead planner for the exercise.

“In today’s world, there are many challenges, and no one nation can handle them by itself. It requires joint efforts and collaboration among all the nations. We can learn from each other and each other’s experiences,” he told Unipath.

This collaboration allows countries to become stronger and better equipped to overcome threats, he explained.

U.S. Maj. Gen. Robert Catalanotti, U.S. Central Command’s director of exercises and training, praised the hard work of Qatari exercise director Maj. Gen. Abdulla Juman al-Hamad, al-Mohandi and many other Qatari military leaders. He also credited their foreign counterparts from the GCC, Levant, Europe and Australia. “This exercise, overall, has gone outstanding,” Catalanotti told Unipath.

He described the three weeks of training as intense and highly effective. Forces had to respond to terrorist hostage scenarios, attacks on gas and oil platforms at sea, ballistic missile strikes, and chemical attacks.
“This exercise is designed to challenge our military forces in a variety of disciplines: in the air, on land and at sea,” Catalanotti said. “Our goal is to build relationships and capabilities that will bring us closer together and enhance the region’s stability.”

Throughout the exercise, forces had to overcome differences in communication and operations, with translators and multilingual forces helping to mitigate any language barriers. Qatari Brig. Gen. Saud A. al-Thani said that in the future, even more of his country’s forces will speak more than one language. Changes such as this may prove critical as countries continue to build solid relationships.

Eagle Resolve is an example of the concept that countries are stronger when they work together. As conflicts arise, al-Thani explained, the trend is that countries will not act alone but in coalitions. “It is important to work together with our coalition partners and Central Command,” he said. “It sends a deterrent message.”

Many at Eagle Resolve were of the same mind — one country working alone to ensure its security is simply not enough. “The way forward is going to be multinational,” said U.S. Lt. Cmdr. Kurt Muhler (SEAL) Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. To do this, multinational forces must understand cultural differences and recognize cultural similarities.

Building relationships
After long days of training, forces shared camps across Qatar. More than just a place to sleep at night, these multinational living arrangements gave the Soldiers a place to move beyond battlefield tactics and daily operations, and have a chance to know one another on a personal level.

In the desert region of Al-Galail, for example, Qatari Armed Forces and the U.S. 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit spent their days sharing professional expertise, scouting artillery sites for the final live-fire battlefield demonstration and conducting light infantry training. At night, members from both countries met over tea and coffee to discuss the next day’s activities. Conversations soon turned to families and futures, and friendships began to form.

“The relationship-building part of this exercise has been one of the most valuable for us out here,” said U.S. Lt. Col. Kevin Collins. “It’s been very valuable and rewarding. They’ve been extremely appreciative to have us here, and we have been very grateful for everything. It’s been more than a training venue.”

Those sentiments were echoed throughout the exercise. “The most important part of this joint mission is the exchange of ideas between forces,” Qatari 1st Lt. Abdul Majid al-Shammari said after leading an attack against a pirate hideout on Qatar’s western coast, near the beaches in Zikrit. “We collaborated a lot while training.”

When participants in the command post were required to deal with a terrorist hijacking of a commercial plane, Jordanian Col. Raed al-Majali helped organize a multinational team of special operations forces to take back the plane and save the hostages. Being able to operate in a joint-leadership environment is critical in today’s security environment, he said.

“Some countries face terror from the air and some from hotel bombings like in Jordan,” al-Majali said. Each country must examine all the threats it may face and learn from the experiences of others who had to overcome such crises, he added. He praised Eagle Resolve for helping to do just that: “It’s a wonderful and great training.”

Defending the Peninsula
Kuwait brought forces from all branches of its military to take part in the 2013 events, explained Kuwaiti Col. Fadhel al-Saadoun. While his country has much experience in crisis management, he said there is always opportunity to learn from others, as well as develop skills enabling them to work together. “Cooperating among nations in the region and other allies is important because it gives you more strength to face any security issues and challenges that come up in the region,” al-Saadoun told Unipath.

One goal during the exercise was for his forces to gain more experience coordinating with nonmilitary organizations because any crisis would require interagency cooperation. Throughout Eagle Resolve 2013, military forces coordinated with agencies such as Qatar’s Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health, as well as local hospitals, the post office, airport, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Qatar Red Crescent and Qatar Foundation.

Advancing skills in interagency coordination helps countries become more resilient to threats because they can respond to any manmade or natural crisis with all their country’s resources. “To always be ready for challenges in times of crises, you have to be prepared in advance,” al-Saadoun said.

U.A. E. Col. Saif Ali S. al-Yammahi agreed. “This training is one of the most important exercises in the GCC region. It is very important because it focuses on strategic planning and operations,” he said. “It unifies all the different forces in terms of operations, intelligence and technical procedures in a crisis.”

A strong and unified GCC is critical for the defense of the Arabian Peninsula, especially in light of the threats it faces from terrorists and malign state actors. Coordinating all regional assets against threats is imperative, said Omani Col. Mohammed al-Mukhaini.

Communication and training with other GCC nations is also critical, and in that respect, Oman has much to offer, he explained. “We have a strategic position to support any of the GCC countries.” Whether it means allowing countries to use Omani air- and seaports to coordinate aid and force movements, or using the country’s military to support its GCC brothers, Oman, like many countries, can play a critical role in the event of a natural or manmade crisis.

In addition to practicing joint operations, he said forces must also prepare for other evolving threats, such as cyber warfare and the spread of extremism online. “You have to adapt. … [T]his concept is very important to any country,” al-Mukhaini said.

Developing the skills necessary to lay the groundwork for a prosperous future through trust, partnership and training was the aim of all leaders involved in this year’s Eagle Resolve, Brig. Gen. al-Mohandi said: “The main objective is to help establish and facilitate peace and stability for the region and world.”

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Senior leaders pave the way

Whether it’s a devastating earthquake or a terrorist attack, nations must prepare to overcome a wide variety of disasters. The Eagle Resolve 2013 Senior Leaders Seminar helped refine and coordinate plans to counter any threat that may appear on the horizon.

Qatari Maj. Gen. Abdulla Juman al-Hamad thanked the crowd of about 300 military and civilian leaders from 12 nations for their participation in the exercise’s culminating event, designed to discuss strategic partnerships and joint defense. He also commended everyone involved in making the exercise a success.

“We would like to see more similar exercises to support our common interests,” al-Hamad said.

The senior leaders gathered May 5 and 6 in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the broad and important topics of consequence management and critical infrastructure protection.

“Our partnership, collectively, is more important now than it’s ever been before,” said Vice Adm. Robert Harward, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command.

The first day was spent in small focus groups. Participants discussed events such as the 2011 earthquake in Japan, which led to a deadly tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident. These complex crises provided an opportunity for others to learn how to strengthen their own national preparedness. Key takeaways were to establish clear lines of communication and chains of command that take into account interagency efforts required for success.

The focus groups presented their findings to the key leaders from each of the nations for review the next day. Representatives from Qatar, the United States and France also gave presentations regarding regional security, infrastructure protection, and coordinated air and missile defense.

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International Special Operations Forces Conference

May 20-22, 2014 Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida, United States

Multinational cooperation is essential to finding shared solutions to global threats. That is why more than 90 partner nations are meeting in May 2014 for U.S. Special Operations Command’s 4th International Special Operations Forces Conference.

The theme “Integrate & Operate” reflects the vision of Adm. William McRaven, U.S. Special Operations commander, to empower a global network of SOF operators, interagency representatives, allies and partners that can rapidly respond to shared threats.

Financial assistance to attend is available for
qualifying countries. Register soon as space is limited.

To register or for more information, contact U.S. Army Lt. Col. Walter Richter at [email protected]

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To read more about the Eagle Resolve exercise, go to https://unipath-magazine.com