US military eyes counter-drone experimentation in Saudi Arabia
US Central Command is moving ahead with plans to help enable shared air and missile defense across the Middle East.
Despite the uproar on Capitol Hill and rare public criticism from the White House, the OPEC+ dispute between the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia has so far not inhibited regular military coordination with Riyadh, US officials say.
One of US Central Command’s top priorities – convincing Middle Eastern states to stitch together their air and missile defense networks for collective protection against Iran – remains fully on the table, two US military officials close to the discussions informed Al-Monitor.
To that end, CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla and his staff have in recent months been discussing with regional counterparts a proposal to set up a new training site in Saudi Arabia to experiment with new and existing counter-drone technologies.
“Think of it like a rifle range for air and missile defenses,” US Army Brig. Gen. John Cogbill, the command’s deputy director for operations, told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview at CENTCOM headquarters. “You can put [a system] through its paces, get that feedback, and test its limits.”
