Abu Dhabi: The United States is providing GCC member countries immediate access to intelligence on missile launches to help its Gulf allies defend themselves, a top US official said on Monday.
The shared early warning system, which links GCC countries to sophisticated US intelligence satellites that can spot a missile launch instantly, is working at the tactical operations level, Lieutenant General Mike Hostage, commander US Air Forces Central Command, told Gulf News.
Hostage, who is responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting air operations in a 20-nation area covering central and southwest Asia, was speaking on the sidelines of the Middle East Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Conference.
Hostage, however, pointed out certain challenges were facing the intelligence sharing between the GCC countries and the US at the policy level.
He did not elaborate because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The early warning system enables the Gulf countries to have a direct link to what US sensors are able to pick up, thus obtaining near real-time information on air and missile attacks to enhance each nation's ability to defend itself.
General (retired) Khalid Abdullah Al Buainain, former commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, told the conference organised by the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, the GCC needs a very long range early warning system.
He said the region was unstable, saying more than 30 regional conflicts had occurred in the last two decades.
New threats
"Conflicts are likely to continue," he said.
The region is facing not only traditional threats but also new emerging threats including information cyber warfare, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism.
"Ballistic missile threat is a common concern and the answer must be common. The GCC needs a national and multinational ballistic missile defence (BMD) to counter long-range proliferating regional ballistic missile threats," he said.
General Al Buainain called for increased GCC shared intelligence and early warning.
"Shared intelligence and early warning are key factors for GCC regional security and stability and improving GCC capability and effectiveness in this regard is mandatory."
