🧵Latest w/ @JM_Szuba: US officials confirm that OPEC cuts have not hindered plans to turn existing military facilities in #Saudi into an air/missile defense network testing centre involving many states willing to work together against #Iran's drone threat al-monitor.com/originals/2022…
2. “Think of it like a rifle range for air and missile defenses,” US Army Brig. Gen. John Cogbill,the command’s deputy director for ops, told Al-Monitor in at #CENTCOM headquarters. “You can put [a system] through its paces, get that feedback, and test its limits.”
3. The facility tentatively dubbed the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center will focus specifically on testing and fielding both existing and new counter-drone technologies.
4.Precise funding hasn't yet been decided/will likely involve some level of US support-not necessarily 20% as previously reported. Defense official said “You aren't talking about a terribly expensive venture these are cap. we have in the region right now, it’s about moving them"
5. Closer collaboration with #Gulf countries could also help give the US an edge in the region’s drone market, where Chinese technology has emerged on both sides of the conflict between #Iran and its neighbors.
6. CENTCOM’s broader push towards ME air defense integration comes as a sort of compensation for US’ decision to withdraw some of its own missile defenses/Patriot batteries from Gulf region in recent years in preparation for longer-term confrontation with #Russia and #China
7. Almost no coverage of this was done but in Sept 2022, US further established an anti-drone unit at the PSAB 115km from #Riyadh to counter unmanned systems. Dubbed the BADC, it is responsible for operating/testing air defense command and control c-UAS platforms.
8. Red Sands draws some parallels to #France's decision to open a permanent joint military base in the UAE in 2009 which likely gave the country a competitive advantage in the race for defense and energy country in the Gulf country/presence in key oil supply route.
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