Kuwaiti and United States defense forces, along with personnel from Kuwait’s interior ministry and fire-force, conducted a security exercise that involved multiple potential threat scenarios. The first involved disarming and arresting a terrorist driving a car bomb, the second was the neutralizing of a car bomb at the gates of Camp Arifjan, and the third was the successful interception of a drone attack on the camp using a Patriot missile.
Speaking about the joint exercise, Commander of the Regional Support Group and supervisor of operations at Camp Buehring and Arifjan, Colonel Martin Wolgemuth, said the exercises were the result of extensive planning in cooperation with Kuwait’s ministries of defense and interior, and the country’s firefighting force.
He said that the Kuwaiti security forces demonstrated excellent performance during the exercises, providing valuable assistance to the US forces. As part of the training, the two sides will continue to exchange reports on their performance to identify areas for improvement.
A special plan was also developed to facilitate joint training every three months, with a larger and more comprehensive exercise to be held annually. The training will focus on specific scenarios such as drone attacks, bombings, or building assaults. The varied training scenarios reflect a clear plan to develop Kuwait’s capabilities in responding to potential threats.
Stressing on the readiness of the US and Kuwait forces to thwart any attempts that threatened Kuwait’s security, US Air Force Colonel Martin Waligura praised the efficiency of the Kuwaiti troops, stating that they were “excellent” and had already requested more joint training exercises. He added that the Commander of the Kuwaiti Air Defense, Brigadier General Khaled Ali Al-Hafiz, had attended the training site and gained valuable insights on cooperation.
Under the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and Kuwait, there is a bilateral response to any emergency that occurs outside the base perimeter, with the two nations working together to handle the emergency. US and Kuwaiti security forces have conducted several joint training exercises at Camp Arifjan to improve their tactical and technical skills in responding to potential terrorist threats.
The ongoing development of Camp Arifjan’s facilities and infrastructure in the form of large-scale projects reflects that the US forces will remain in Kuwait for an extended period to strengthen regional security.