Gulf navies must cooperate to stave off threats, experts say

Gulf countries underinvested in naval capability for years because of the presence of the US and the British, but now Iran is investing heavily in its navy, there is a need to redress the balance.

The 4th ship of the Baynunah Corvette Class programme is one of the UAE Navy's finest but now experts have said that Arabian Gulf navies should be looking to expand their fleets. Christopher Pike / ThShow more

ABU DHABI // Arabian Gulf navies must train together more frequently and invest in manpower to ensure they can meet the rising threat of ballistic missiles in the region, defence experts say.

The Gulf faces many maritime obstacles including tight space for battle, which could put its countries in a vulnerable position.

“The challenges posed by today’s integrated air and defence missile threat in the maritime environment include a very compressed battle space due to geography alone,” said Admiral Jim Loeblein, deputy commander of the US naval forces central command.

“In the Arabian Gulf, it can easily disadvantage navy forces that require time and distance in bringing the full capabilities and effects of our missile-defence systems.

“When short distances are combined with the proliferation of advanced cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, [engaging] can also become very complex and it truly is a real challenge for us.”

Adm Loeblein was speaking at the Middle East Missile and Air Defence Symposium in Abu Dhabi this week.

He said these threats challenged the territories of regional countries, maritime security and the freedom of navigation, and the flow of commerce and resources on which all countries depended.

“It takes three major military pillars to harness maritime forces in such a joint coalition network in order to face this threat,” Adm Loeblein said. “They’re capacity, capability and inter-operability, and they can’t be separated.”

He said the number of ships and aircraft made a difference in countering threats.

“Once a real threat reaches the horizon, that’s not the time for us to say we need to order additional forces,” Adm Loeblein said. “We need to have an enduring capacity every day, not just during a crisis.”

Dr Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser and director of security and defence studies at the Gulf Research Centre, said the GCC had not invested enough in its naval capability for years because of the presence of other navies, such as the US.

“The navy was neglected for many years and now there is a wake-up call because the Iranians are building their naval capability very fast,” said Dr Alani. This includes submarines, which are new to the Gulf.

“Then you have non-state threats like piracy again emerging as a major threat to the international navigation in this region,” Dr Alani said.

“In the past five years, we noticed an increase in the interest in naval capabilities, especially the big Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Now there is some attention diverted to the naval capability, which is really important.”

Collective work is essential, Adm Loeblein said.

“This is not any one country’s pro-blem,” he said. “We all own this solution set and it takes a partnered effort to provide these platforms to reinforce the maritime forces that truly are first to the fight.”

He said training and technology needed to be better than any possible missile threat.

“The compressed battle space must have multi-mission ships, aircraft and persistent sensor platforms that are adaptable, scalable and flexible to adequately meet those threats,” Adm Loeblein said.

“To achieve this, each of us must actively partner with the industry to help obtain that tactical advantage over our adversary.”

More joint exercises are needed.

“Practice ensures that our weapons work as they are advertised. Actions speak louder than words.”

Sharing intelligence, surveillance and information will be a crucial step in regional security. And investing in manpower is vital.

“Joint combined command and control architecture is critical to increase the speed of decision and action,” Adml Loeblein said. “It allows us to increase the probability of success against these threats.

“Our greatest weapon system is the knowledge, ingenuity and perseverance of our people, who are responsible for manning these ships, aircraft and future weapons systems.”