The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain held the U.S.-Bahrain Military Consultative Committee (MCC) in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2024. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Dan Shapiro, led the U.S. delegation, alongside representatives from U.S. Central Command, the Joint Staff, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the State Department. Minister of Defence Affairs His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Bin Hassan Al-Noaimi led Bahrain's delegation with representatives from the Royal Bahraini Air Force, Royal Bahraini Naval Forces, and the Embassy of Bahrain.
The MCC serves as a key bilateral forum for advancing U.S.-Bahrain defense cooperation and is a critical component of the 2023 U.S.-Bahrain Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA).
During this session, leaders from both nations reaffirmed their strategic partnership and discussed various issues including regional conflicts and combined efforts to promote stability in the region. The discussions also explored opportunities to further develop their defense partnership over future years by expanding bilateral defense trade, information-sharing, and advisory mechanisms. The MCC included sessions focused on bilateral intelligence cooperation, military cooperation, and security assistance.
The U.S. delegation commended Bahrain's contributions to U.S.-led regional security initiatives in the Red Sea such as Operation Prosperity Guardian. Additionally, U.S. officials affirmed their commitment to deepening American-Bahraini security cooperation under C-SIPA's framework. Both sides agreed on continuing to advance their defense and security partnership through joint training exercises and greater regional cooperation to address shared threats.
