Defense ministers of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states met here yesterday to review their defense strategies and prospects of bolstering a joint force. Kuwait's Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah opened the meeting by backing efforts to "build defense strategies for our states ... and to achieve capability and readiness to repulse any (external) aggression". In a press statement published today, the minister also called for "bolstering the Peninsula Shield to become a protective defense for our countries in these delicate conditions in our region". On his part, GCC Secretary General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah said that the pace of military cooperation between members of the six-nation alliance would accelerate. He said the ministers would review several issues including the 5,000-strong Peninsula Shield joint force, safe communications and a cooperation belt.
