GCC to establish joint forward-command centre in Kuwait

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has approved a new joint forward-command centre in Kuwait to enhance military integration among its members, amid concerns over the United States' commitment to regional security amidst the Iran conflict. The GCC, comprising six Gulf states, established a joint defense agreement in 2000, stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

However, the organization has failed to respond effectively to attacks on its members from various fronts, including Israel's attack on Hamas negotiators in Doha in September 2025 and Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The decision to site the command centre in Kuwait, a nation vulnerable to Iranian and Iraqi missile and drone attacks during the war, may raise questions about its practical viability.

The US, the GCC's primary security guarantor for over half a century, has been called into question due to the war on Iran, with some analysts suggesting that the presence of US troops in the region has made them a target. The US Department of War's inspector general reported that hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in several Gulf states were damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes.

Former US officials have also expressed doubts about the US's strategy of establishing bases close to Iran, suggesting a potential relocation of US bases to Israel and neighboring countries for better protection from Iranian missiles and drones.