Lloyd J. Austin III Secretary of Defence | Official website
The United States and Kuwait held the 15th U.S.-Kuwaiti Joint Military Commission (JMC) in Kuwait City from May 20-21, 2024. The Chief of Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Bander Salem Al Muzaien, led the Kuwaiti delegation, while Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro headed the U.S. side. The JMC serves as a primary bilateral defense forum for senior officials from both nations to discuss strategic issues and advance their defense partnership.
Both delegations reaffirmed the strength of their strategic partnership and emphasized the importance of expanding their defense relationship.
Lt. Gen. Al Muzaien and DASD Shapiro exchanged views on regional security challenges, including border security threats, maritime security, ballistic missiles, and uncrewed aerial systems. Both parties acknowledged the need for close coordination during a time of unprecedented challenges in the region. Discussions also covered bilateral defense initiatives, regional integration, and strategic competition.
The co-chairs agreed on the critical role of U.S. forces in the region and discussed deepening interoperability between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen and expand air and missile defense integration as well as early warning systems across the Middle East.
During the JMC, Maj. Gen. Sean Salene, Director (J5), U.S. Central Command, co-chaired the Military Cooperation subcommittee with Maj. Gen. Mohammad Al Dhafairi, Kuwait's Assistant Chief of Staff. This subcommittee explored bilateral cooperation focusing on interoperability requirements, military construction projects, and opportunities to participate in CENTCOM's women, peace, and security initiatives.
Maj. Gen. Salene also co-chaired the Security Cooperation subcommittee with Brigadier General Fahad Al-Otaibi from Kuwait's Ministry of Defense Director of Military Cooperation office to detail critical security cooperation programs including synchronizing Foreign Military Sales efforts and identifying further opportunities for continued collaboration.
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