Gulf monarchies confirm joint military command headquarters in Kuwait amid regional escalation.
The six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approved the establishment of an advanced forward headquarters for their unified military command in Kuwait, along with the allocation of military forces to the facility, marking a significant expansion of military coordination between the Gulf monarchies.
The Secretary General of the GCC, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budawi, announced the decision following the bloc's 23rd Joint Defense Council meeting in Manama, Bahrain. The GCC Joint Military Command was established in December 2013 to coordinate joint military operations between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.
The decision comes amid heightened regional tensions following the US-Israeli war in Iran and Iranian retaliatory attacks against Gulf states that host American military installations. However, officials have not yet disclosed the number of troops to be assigned, the operational mandate of the headquarters or a timetable for deployment.