Syria weighs joining the Mecca Pact, foreign minister says
“Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” Syria’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said.
Iran conflict disrupts economies, but experts predict rise in defense spending
“To counter these [Iran’s] asymmetric threats, Gulf states are compelled to accelerate military modernization, prioritizing advanced air defenses like Patriot and THAAD upgrades,” said a retired Kuwaiti air force officer.
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A leap in drone range and payloads come from a battery with different chemistry
Lithium-metal batteries are one way to break the weight and endurance limits of today’s unmanned systems.
‘Nightmare scenario’ for GCC countries, region as Iran unloads drones and missiles
“If Iranian attacks continue throughout this week, I would expect the Gulf Arab states to eventually participate in counter-attacks on Iran," one defense expert told Breaking Defense.
Gulf states pledge increased missile defense cooperation after Israeli strike in Qatar
"The recent attacks have intensified debates on collective Gulf security, exposing critical air and missile defense gaps,” retired Kuwaiti air force Col. Zafer Al Ajami told Breaking Defense, adding that "political divisions may hinder a formal Arab-NATO."
Israeli strike in Qatar jeopardizes normalization in the region: Experts
“I think that in terms of major achievements in the Abraham Accords, this will further throw dirt on the grave of Saudi-Israeli normalization," analyst Ryan Bohl told Breaking Defense.
Qatari navy’s new amphibious ship to help fulfil nation’s ‘unique’ needs
Naval buys position the peninsula Gulf nation to work with international allies, while sailing into deeper waters.
From directed energy to AI and hardening, JIATF-401 is widening counter-UAS options
There is no single answer to the drone threat, pushing the Pentagon toward a broader mix of defenses.
Gulf Countries Must Boost ISR, Sensors To Better Eye Iran
Gulf countries must build a centralized command center linked to sub-command centers spread across all countries and able to share and receive data in a synchronized real time way, says Mohamed Al-Kenany, military researcher and defense analyst at the Arab Forum for Policy Analysis in Cairo.
Iran Missile Upgrades Complicate GCC Defense Efforts
Arab Gulf States must improve ISR, EW capabilities and extend their early warning range and enhance systems' integration to counter Iran's ballistic missile threat
Eye On Iran, Gulf Countries’ Deploy New C4I Systems
A new C4ISR system will give Bahrain Defense Forces an “integrated vivid picture of the theater of operations for the benefit of command centers,” Mohamed Al-Kenany, defense analyst at the Arab Forum for Policy Analysis in Cairo, says.
‘Mission Impossible?’ Interoperability Across Arab States
Enhancing interoperability across Arab states’ defense systems remains a holy grail that even alliances such as NATO find hard to achieve.
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Weaponizing the supply chain for a liquid-fueled howitzer-fired munition that flies 150 km
The goal of such weaponization is to tie warfighter needs to the RDT&E cycle.
After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild
On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, pulling on the same black uniform and jacket that Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces wore throughout the battle for Mosul, declared the final liberation of the city from Daesh’s (aka ISIL) control. “I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state […]
The Axis of Chaos: U.S., Saudi Arabia, & Iran
When Air Force One touches down at King Khalid International Airport on Wednesday, President Obama will enter a Middle East figuratively as well as literally on fire. In the current revolutionary period, the region is beset by multiple cross-cutting wars, the ongoing disintegration of at least four states (Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen), and the ascendance […]
Trust, Not Tech, Big Problem Building Missile Defenses Vs. Iran, North Korea
WASHINGTON: Missile defense is notoriously technically challenging, but sometimes the biggest problem isn’t tech, but trust. Even the most advanced systems can’t stop Iranian or North Korean missiles if America’s allies can’t cooperate to integrate those systems into a regional defense, because ballistic missiles can move too fast and far for a single country to […]
US Foreign Policy: Spin, or Spinning Out of Control?
Occasionally journalists find a gem, buried in the Potomac muck. They’re hard to find and often even harder to convince they should be seen by the public. Harald Malmgren spends most of his time buried deep in the darkest muck of Washington — that almost impenetrable stuff surrounding economics. But he sometimes rises forth and […]