The Kuwait Army General Staff reported that Brigadier General Raed Mubarak Al-Sakran, deputy chief of the general staff for operations and plans, led the Kuwaiti team to the session convened in the Saudi capital. Officials from all six GCC member states attended the gathering focused on operational coordination across the bloc’s armed forces. The meeting forms part of regular technical exchanges that have continued since the GCC’s establishment in 1981 to align defense policies among Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In its announcement the army stated that the committee reviewed ways to develop joint work mechanisms while exchanging operational and training expertise among participating forces. Discussions also addressed steps to advance collective defense coordination and promote field integration that would allow smoother combined operations if required. Such technical sessions typically produce recommendations forwarded to higher GCC defense bodies for endorsement.
GCC military collaboration has expanded significantly in recent years with the inauguration of a unified command headquarters in Riyadh that coordinates joint activities across the region. A statement from the Saudi Press Agency earlier this year described the facility as a cornerstone for integrated responses to shared security challenges facing member states. Kuwait has consistently supported these structures through active participation in both planning committees and live exercises.
The Kuwait Army General Staff noted that Monday’s meeting aligns with a series of joint drills conducted throughout 2026 including the Gulf Shield exercise hosted by Saudi Arabia earlier in the year. Those maneuvers tested interoperability in air defense, missile response and ground operations involving all GCC forces alongside the unified command. Outcomes from committee discussions often shape scenarios used in subsequent training cycles to address evolving regional threats.
Senior military officials across the GCC have stressed the importance of sustained cooperation amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the wider Middle East. Related talks held in Kuwait last week among army chiefs examined further activation of unified command elements according to regional defense reports. The latest session in Saudi Arabia will contribute findings that feed into upcoming ministerial-level defense council reviews scheduled in coming months.
