Gulf, US commanders to hold talks in Kuwait
Gulf Arab army chiefs, including Qatar’s military commander, will meet with US Central Command officials for talks on defence cooperation in the week of 10 September, a Kuwaiti official said 9 September.
Speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to brief the press, an official with Kuwait’s defence ministry said army commanders of the Gulf states – including boycott-hit Qatar – would hold talks on 10 September in a scheduled meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council Supreme Military Committee in Kuwait City.
In June 2017, powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with Egypt and Bahrain, announced they were cutting ties with Qatar, accusing the emirate of ties to both Sunni Islamist extremists and Shiite Iran.
Qatar denies the allegations.
The 15-month Qatar boycott is the worst political crisis to hit the oil-rich Gulf. Kuwait has led mediation efforts in the crisis.
The Gulf commanders will also meet representatives of the US Central Command and those of the Egyptian and Jordanian armies on 12 September, the Kuwaiti official said.
The meetings will come just over a week after Pentagon chief James Mattis and Centcom head General Joseph Votel held talks in the Gulf.
State news agency KUNA has confirmed defence talks in the week of 10 September in Kuwait city.
In July 2018, Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid al-Jarallah said his country was considering US proposals for a strategic alliance in the Middle East to counter Iran’s influence in the region.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence]()
“Engage with the operational problem”: how software innovation can boost UK defence
In Conversation… Shephard’s Andrew White talks to Zafer Şen, CEO and co-founder of OBSS, about the future of command-and-control software in the age of artificial intelligence, and his company’s ambitions in the UK defence market.
-
![“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money]()
“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
-
![Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline]()
Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
