Research Overview

Middle Eastern countries increasingly acquire and develop missile defense (MD) capabilities to counter regional threats posed by Iran’s projected aggression in expanding the range, accuracy, stealth, and lethality of its offensive missiles and integrating them into military concepts of operations and coercive threats. This trend catalyzes regional MD participants to transform their military posture rapidly for MD projection as part of their military deterrence strategy.

International MD cooperation is becoming vital to global defense and regional military coalitions, including in the Middle East. International cooperation enhances the national security of members and supports efforts to counter advanced missile threats. The MD cooperative engagement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is still in the preliminary stages. Cooperation could improve by developing indigenous industries, participating in joint military exercises, streamlining the MD sales process, and collaborating with the United States and Israel, the global leaders for MD, following the signing of the Abraham Accords. However, the lack of operational MD experience, technological gaps, and command and control challenges limit most GCC members in promoting and deploying advanced MD solutions. These restraints become even more complex when discussing multilayered regional architecture, a leading US national security interest in the Middle East.