Qatar has inaugurated a comprehensive multinational military exercise, ‘Arabian Gulf Security 4,’ bringing together security forces from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states alongside specialized units from the United States. The exercise, launched on January 26 under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force ‘Lekhwiya,’ represents a significant enhancement of regional security cooperation.
The extensive training operation, scheduled to continue through February 4, features an ambitious program of over 70 field scenarios encompassing more than 260 training hours. These exercises are designed to simulate complex security challenges including counter-terrorism operations, organized crime response, emergency management, and critical facility protection. The program also emphasizes command and control operations with coordinated responses between specialized operations rooms.
Senior security officials from across GCC nations attended the inauguration, including heads of the exercise’s higher committees and commanders of participating agencies. Brigadier Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Hajri, Commander of the UAE security force participating in the exercise, emphasized that the UAE’s involvement demonstrates its commitment to strengthening Gulf security cooperation frameworks and enhancing joint readiness against diverse threats.
‘The Arabian Gulf Security exercise provides a crucial platform to evaluate operational plans, improve the proficiency of participating forces, and facilitate expertise exchange among Gulf and partner security agencies,’ stated Brigadier Al Hajri. The exercise is recognized as one of the most prominent training initiatives within the Gulf security architecture, offering a realistic operational environment that promotes unified operational concepts and enhances coordinated response capabilities to emerging security challenges across the region.