Kuwait and Washington: A Sustainable Military Partnership
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Khaled Al-Shara’an and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and Central Asia Michael Dementi chaired the annual meeting of the Kuwait-U.S. Joint Military Committee, held at the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon. The General Headquarters of the Armed Forces said in a statement yesterday that the meeting included a number of workshops for participating teams from both sides, during which joint cooperation in maintenance and training was reviewed. It added that a memorandum of understanding for strategic partnership with the National Guard of Maryland was signed during the meeting.
In a statement published on its website, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Kuwait’s formal acceptance into the “State Partnership Program” and the selection of the Maryland National Guard as its partner, coinciding with discussions on enhancing Kuwait’s defense capabilities and expanding cooperation in confronting regional threats, foremost among them unmanned aerial systems and missiles. It stated that the U.S. and Kuwaiti sides reaffirmed their commitment to establishing a “strong, mutual, and sustainable” defense partnership, based on decades of cooperation between the two countries and recent operations, while formalizing operational roadmaps aimed at continuing to develop shared defense interests.
The meeting discussed the security challenges facing the region and ways to strengthen Kuwait’s defense capabilities to confront common threats, with a focus on improving interoperability between Kuwaiti and U.S. forces, expanding cooperation in maritime security, and developing integrated regional air and missile defense systems. Both sides emphasized the transformations brought about by the growing deployment of unmanned aerial systems in the nature of modern warfare, stressing the importance of deepening integration and cooperation in this field, particularly in light of growing threats related to drones.
As an indicator of Kuwait’s direction toward enhancing its defense investments, the Pentagon pointed to a pending $1.98 billion deal to purchase “Anduril” systems for countering small unmanned aerial systems, as part of a broader Kuwaiti plan to expand U.S. foreign military sales and update the capabilities of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces. It added that the delegations also discussed the “America First” strategy regarding arms transfers and efforts aimed at simplifying foreign military sales procedures and accelerating the modernization of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces.
It noted that the 16th meeting of the Joint Military Committee reflects a high level of defense cooperation between Kuwait and the United States, taking place amid rapid security changes in the region. Recent developments confirm that the partnership between the two countries is moving toward a more integrated phase, encompassing air and missile defense, maritime security, countering drones, and developing military capabilities and joint training.
