As extra-regional powers continue to fuel instability and the US seeks to entrench a US-Israeli order in West Asia, the "Bahrain Shield" military exercise was held with the participation of the armed forces of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. Despite extensive media coverage portraying the exercise as a demonstration of unity and military capability, realities on the ground raise serious questions about its effectiveness and independence.
The exercise's most significant weakness lies in the absence of genuine security-building elements within the defense structures of the participating states. Most of their military capabilities rely on imported weapons and remain heavily dependent on foreign support, particularly from the US. Security built on imported equipment and external backing, rather than indigenous capabilities, is less a guarantee of stability than a sign of strategic vulnerability.
Unity on Paper, Divisions Beneath the Surface
Military exercises can project credible deterrence only when they are based on genuine political, security, and strategic convergence among participating states. Yet relations among GCC members have long been marked by rivalry and significant disagreements.
Visible and underlying tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over regional issues, competition between Doha and several GCC members, and differing views on regional developments all suggest that placing these countries within a single security framework is more a symbolic and media-driven display of cohesion than evidence of a durable alliance.
Regional security cannot be built through photo opportunities and symbolic military exercises. It requires mutual trust, shared interests, and independent political will, conditions that cannot be achieved without reducing dependence on external powers.
Borrowed Weapons and Illusion of Imported Security
The exercise comes as much of the participating countries' military hardware is supplied by the US and other Western states. History has repeatedly shown that reliance on foreign powers does not create lasting security; instead, it risks turning regional states into instruments of others' policies.
Countries that have hosted US military bases for years and provided logistical routes for US and Israeli military activities have effectively exposed themselves to becoming part of the region's security crises. Recent regional conflicts have also demonstrated that the presence of extra-regional powers and support for the Israeli regime have been among the principal sources of instability in West Asia.
Under such circumstances, a military exercise that cannot be defined independently of foreign powers reflects security dependence more than credible deterrence.
Indigenous Security: The Only Path to Lasting Stability
The reality is that lasting security in the Persian Gulf and West Asia can only be achieved through genuine cooperation among regional states and reliance on indigenous capabilities. The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently emphasized the need for regional security mechanisms and has repeatedly declared its readiness to cooperate with neighboring countries toward that goal.
Such a framework requires regional states to move beyond the illusion of US-provided security, reduce the foreign military presence, and prevent their territory and facilities from being used as instruments of pressure against other nations.
Recent regional developments have clearly demonstrated that imported security is neither sustainable nor reliable. Genuine stability depends on cooperation among regional countries, strengthening indigenous capabilities, and developing an independent regional will to address the sources of insecurity.
Alongside its efforts to safeguard national and regional security, the Islamic Republic of Iran has stressed that it will respond decisively to any act of aggression or participation in aggression. Within this framework, Iran's smart management of the Strait of Hormuz should also be viewed as part of its responsibility for protecting Iran's interests and preserving stability across the region.
NOURNEWS