Gulf Defence Ministers Approve Forward Command as Regional Security Shifts

Gulf defence ministers have approved the establishment of a forward command in Kuwait under the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Unified Military Command, with forces to be allocated to it. This decision, finalized on November 10, marks another step towards Gulf states taking greater collective responsibility for their security, following recent regional tensions. Just a day earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that Iran militarily is effectively over, while noting that the US blockade would continue without announcing an agreed end to the war. Any opening for diplomacy deserves support, but even a lasting agreement would leave underlying security problems unresolved.

Understanding the Gulf Security Architecture

The complexity of modern threats requires abandoning the expectation that one grand security arrangement can resolve every regional challenge. Iran’s attacks on Gulf states during this conflict, along with Israel’s September 2025 strike on Qatar, demonstrate the breadth of the challenge. A security architecture designed around only one adversary leaves serious gaps. Armed militias, terrorist groups, cyberattacks, maritime disruption, and the consequences of state failure add further risks, while the erosion of international restraints makes these problems harder to manage.

The most credible response is a security architecture that is both layered and networked. Layering starts with recognizing that different partnerships do different jobs. National capabilities and GCC cooperation provide the foundation, while the US relationship remains central. Additional arrangements address needs that a single partner cannot meet. Cooperation with US Central Command supplies an operational layer, such as the air and missile defence coordination cell opened at Al Udeid in January.

Furthermore, the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, adds a collective defence commitment. The Badr memorandum, signed in October by Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia, sets out cooperation in defence manufacturing, research, and technical training. These arrangements must be connected so that capabilities developed through one partnership strengthen what countries can do through another, creating a truly networked defence system.

The Gulf must build a layered and networked security architecture to outlast current conflicts and regional threats.

Why it matters

Trump’s latest statement should accelerate the region’s move towards a layered and networked security architecture. This transition affects energy exporters, importers, and global trade routes that rely on secure passage through Hormuz. European, Asian, and regional partners share an interest in defending basic rules of sovereignty and trade against political coercion.