Gulf Cooperation Council defence ministers have approved an advanced command of the bloc's Unified Military Command, to be based in Kuwait, with forces to be allocated to it. GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi announced the decision on Tuesday 10 November.
It followed the 23rd session of the GCC Joint Defence Council in Manama, Bahrain. According to The National, the session was held under Bahrain's Defence Minister, Lt Gen Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi.
The National reports that the new command will form part of the existing Unified Military Command, which has its headquarters in Riyadh. The announcement did not give the number or make-up of the forces involved. It also did not set out the command's responsibilities or say when it would become operational.
Gulf News links the decision to the wider tensions between the US, Israel and Iran. The GCC's six members are the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.