Last quote from the Manama Dialogue, Hagel
US to maintain 35,000 troops in Gulf
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A senior US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters the speech was intended to send a message of solidarity to Gulf allies while also conveying a warning to adversaries “that any sort of mythology of American retreat is just wrong-headed.”
The remarks came a day after Hagel told sailors on the USS Ponce docked in Bahrain that he would “assure our partners that we’re not going anywhere” despite the diplomatic gambit with Iran
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He proposed a new initiative that would allow the Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain — to qualify to purchase US weapons as an organisation.
The idea is to encourage closer security cooperation among the Gulf states, especially on missile defence, Hagel said. Washington for years has tried to persuade the Gulf governments to forge a common missile defence networks to counter Iran’s growing missile arsenal but the effort has produced mixed results.
The Pentagon “will work with the GCC on better integration of its members’ missile defence capabilities,” Hagel said. -AFP