GCC to set up military command headquarters in Kuwait
The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has agreed to set up an advanced headquarters for its Unified Military Command in Kuwait, with plans to station “appropriate” military forces there.
The announcement by the [P]GCC’s General Secretariat on Tuesday followed a meeting of defense ministers from member states in Bahrain.
The group said in a statement that the leaders of the [P]GCC states consistently emphasize the necessity and importance of strengthening the Persian Gulf journey, enabling it to confront various challenges and threats, both present and future.
Details about the headquarters and the number or type of troops expected to be deployed have yet to be disclosed. The [P]GCC consists of six United States-allied Persian Gulf Arab states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Established at a summit in Kuwait in December 2013, the [P]GCC’s Unified Military Command was designed to oversee joint military operations and enhance collective defense against threats to member states’ territory, airspace, maritime areas and interests.
Most Persian Gulf Arab countries host major US military installations and were targeted in Iranian retaliatory attacks in the weeks after the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.
During the recent acts of aggression against Iran, some regional countries allowed the US to use their territories to launch attacks on Iran. Tehran had repeatedly warned the countries about the issue.
The aggression against Iran has disrupted air travel and shipping, and raised concerns over the security of the region’s vital oil and gas exports.