The recent defense cooperation agreement between Kuwait and Turkey represents a significant development in their bilateral relations and regional defense dynamics. This “executive protocol,” as it has been termed, was signed in the presence of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signaling a mutual commitment to enhance defense capabilities through direct, government-to-government contracting.
The protocol has not been laid bare in all its specifics, but the implications are clear: Kuwait is seeking to directly acquire Turkish defense systems. Ali Bakir, a professor at Qatar University and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, interprets “the Kuwaiti emphasis on ‘defense to defense’ contracts is intended to convey the transparency, directness, and effectiveness of their defense deals with Turkey, without the involvement of any intermediaries that could potentially lead to corruption. While Kuwait and Turkey signed a comprehensive joint defense pact in late 2018, underscoring their shared commitment to mutual security interests, Kuwait remains the least active among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in terms of defense procurement from Turkey.”
Kuwait’s current defense landscape features a notable procurement: a $367 million contract for the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, renowned for their role in the Ukraine conflict. “As the Kuwaitis work to modernize their military, Ankara eyes the lion’s share of Kuwait’s defense procurements,” Bakir said. “Turkey is willing to offer a range of its modern, cost-effective and highly capable weapons as well as establishing a military base in Kuwait should the Gulf nation express a desire for such a move.”
Beyond the procurement of sophisticated drones, retired Kuwaiti colonel and defense analyst Zafer Al Ajami anticipates that the protocol will facilitate valuable training exchanges. “I expect the protocol to facilitate training programs between Kuwait and Turkey. Kuwait will undoubtedly benefit from it, as Turkey has experience in many fields, especially combating terrorism,” he said. “Turkey is marketing itself as a soft defense provider in the first place and then as a hard defense provider, but I do not think that we need a Turkish base in Kuwait for many reasons, the most important of which is that the Turks do not have long-range deployment capabilities like UK and US, and which Kuwait needs,” he told Breaking Defense.
Can Kasapoglu, a Turkish defense expert with the Hudson Institute, sees the signing of this protocol as an acknowledgment of Kuwait’s security concerns and a practical continuation of the 2019 Turkish-Kuwait defense plan, which emphasizes mutual military exchange and technical expertise.
Relevant articles:
– Kuwait’s new ‘executive protocol’ with Turkey could mean new weapons, training, Breaking Defense, 05/15/2024
– Kuwait’s new ‘executive protocol’ with Turkey could mean new weapons, training, Breaking Defense, 05/15/2024
– Turkiye Defense Protocol: Key aspects unveiled, Tactical Report, 05/15/2024
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