Kuwait, US review joint cooperation at annual military committee meeting

Kuwait and the US held the annual meeting of their Joint Military Committee (JMC) at the Pentagon to review joint cooperation, the Kuwaiti military said Saturday, Anadolu reports.

The meeting was co-chaired by Kuwaiti Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Khaled Daraj Saad Al-Shuraian and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Middle East and Central Asia Michael DiMino, the army added in a statement.

The two sides held a series of workshops during the meeting and reviewed joint cooperation in maintenance and training. They also signed a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership with the Maryland National Guard, the statement said.

Al-Shuraian was accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior Kuwaiti Army officers, the statement said.

In a separate statement, the US Defense Department said the two sides exchanged assessments of regional security challenges and discussed ways to strengthen Kuwait’s defense capabilities against shared threats.

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They discussed greater military interoperability, expanded cooperation on maritime security and enhanced regional integrated air and missile defense architectures.

The delegations also highlighted the growing role of unmanned aircraft systems in warfare and the need for deeper defense integration.

The US statement said Kuwait is committed to increasing investment in its defense capabilities and the US defense industrial base, citing a pending $1.98 billion acquisition of Anduril counter-small unmanned aircraft systems as part of a broader Kuwaiti plan to expand foreign military sales.

The two sides also discussed the US administration’s “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” and efforts to streamline foreign military sales and accelerate the modernization of Kuwait’s armed forces.

​​​​​​​DiMino also formally announced Kuwait’s acceptance into the US State Partnership Program and its pairing with the Maryland National Guard, according to the statement.

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