Kuwaiti Air Force’s new F-18s, Typhoons facing delivery delays

Kuwaiti Air Force’s new F-18s, Typhoons facing delivery delays
Kuwaiti Air Force’s new F-18s, Typhoons facing delivery delays

DUBAI: The year 2022 was supposed to be the year the Kuwait Air Force took almost full delivery of two long-awaited platforms that would double its size and multiply its capabilities. However, delays caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic have pushed the delivery and operationalization schedule to 2023 — which may end up a blessing…

‘Mission Impossible?’ Interoperability Across Arab States

‘Mission Impossible?’ Interoperability Across Arab States
‘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.

Congress: Drop Sec. 716 — FDA Exemption — From NDAA

Congress: Drop Sec. 716 — FDA Exemption — From NDAA
Congress: Drop Sec. 716 — FDA Exemption — From NDAA

The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act contains billions of dollars and much policy concerning medical research and, of course, matters relating to nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. We don’t cover most of those medical issues except when they relate to NBC issues or raise basic military policy considerations. This is one of those cases. In…

After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild

After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild
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…

Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)

Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)
Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)

  Sen. John McCain said in early February that, it “is time for the international community to abandon the absurd fiction of a political solution that leaves Assad in power (in Syria).” McCain, who was reacting to Amnesty International’s report about mass executions by Bashar al Assad’s regime, argued: “Bashar Assad does not belong in a…

Two Cheers for OCO: Grease For Budget Wheels

Two Cheers for OCO: Grease For Budget Wheels
Two Cheers for OCO: Grease For Budget Wheels

The verdict from think tanks and commentators is in: Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), the much-criticized war funding account, should move to the base budget because of abuses and a lack of transparency. As a matter of theory, such a move would be good government. OCO deflects hard choices and distorts the budget process. In the…

No Win In Syria: We’ll Be Glad To Keep Assad

No Win In Syria: We’ll Be Glad To Keep Assad
No Win In Syria: We’ll Be Glad To Keep Assad

It seems just like old times: the Turk is back in the Levant, Aleppo is under siege, and the ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) is dispensing justice. When did it all go wrong?  When the Americans decided the stuttering ophthalmologist wouldn’t play rough like his fighter pilot dad had. As Donald Trump would tweet: Sad! Sadder still is…

SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines ‘Could Clear’ Iraq

SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines ‘Could Clear’ Iraq
SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines ‘Could Clear’ Iraq

BALLSTON, Va: Since early November, three Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys and 26 marines have been on alert at Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, on 30-minute alert to fly in and rescue a U.S. or coalition pilot downed while bombing or shooting at the Islamic State in Iraq or Syria. On 29 occasions between Nov. 1 and…