The US military command responsible for the Middle East and Iran is planning to establish a military testing facility in Saudi Arabia, a matter that was discussed during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia in July, three US unnamed defense officials familiar with the plan confirmed.
According to the United States Central Command’s (CENTCOM) spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, while the plans are still in their conceptual phase, the idea of a facility that is currently being referred to as the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center is an innovative approach to training and readiness between the US and its Middle East partners.
The Red Sands Experimentation Center would increase the US and coalition forces’ interoperability and counter a myriad of unmanned aerial systems and growing threats while developing and testing integrated air and missile defense capabilities to combat the threat.
Eastburn noted that the idea for the Red Sands facility was proposed by CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla during his July visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss regional cooperation with the Arab state’s armed forces.
While the project’s start date and costs of the project are not yet clear, it is expected the operation to begin before the end of 2022 with the US probably funding about 20% of the costs and providing 20% of the personnel, while Middle East allies would provide the rest.
Although a US defense official said that this is an opportunity considering the fact that Saudi Arabia is the center of gravity for many future regional security endeavors, it is also another sign that hat Biden has thoroughly abandoned and renounced his pledge to make the Kingdom a pariah.
However, it comes with no surprise considering the rising tensions in the region and the previously unseen security cooperation between Israel and the Arab states as they take a unified stand against Iran and build on the successful efforts to grow peace and stability in the region.
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