The annual Joint Military Committee meeting between Kuwait and the United States was held at the Pentagon. Kuwait Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Khaled Darac Saad Al-Shureyan and Michael DiMino, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of War for the Middle East and Central Asia, co-chaired the discussions.
The U.S. Department of Defense said the meeting assessed regional security threats and discussed steps to strengthen Kuwait's defense capabilities against common threats. The delegations also discussed improving the interoperability of military units, expanding maritime security cooperation, and advancing regional integrated air and missile defense architectures.
The sides assessed the growing role of unmanned aerial systems in conflicts and the need to deepen defense integration.
Joint work and strategic agreement
According to a statement by the Kuwaiti military, several workshops on joint work in maintenance and training were held as part of the meeting. A memorandum of understanding was also signed on the strategic partnership between Kuwait and the Maryland National Guard.
Lieutenant General Khaled Darac Saad was accompanied at the meeting by a delegation of senior Kuwaiti military officers.
$1.98 billion procurement deal remains pending
The U.S. Department of Defense said Kuwait had pledged to increase its investments in its defense capabilities and the U.S. defense industry. The department said a $1.98 billion deal for the procurement of counter-small unmanned aerial systems manufactured by Anduril remained pending under Kuwait's broader foreign military sales plan.
The discussions also covered the U.S. administration's "America First Arms Transfer Strategy," initiatives to streamline foreign military sales processes, and efforts to accelerate the modernization of Kuwait's armed forces.
Accepted into the State Partnership Program
DiMino announced that Kuwait had been accepted into the U.S. Department of State's State Partnership Program. It was also officially announced that Kuwait would be paired with the Maryland National Guard under the program.
