The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprises six member states: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. The combined territorial expanse covers approximately 2,557,000 square kilometers, supporting a total population of 62 million.
Each year, GCC countries allocate around $70 billion to the US for ‘security cooperation’ across nine key areas: troop sustainment, aircraft maintenance, missile defence systems, operational training, arms procurement, intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, logistics support and advisory services. This amounts to roughly $700 billion over the past decade.
On September 9, at approximately 1610 hours local time in Doha, a kinetic engagement was reported, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirming a precision airstrike shortly thereafter. The operation deployed a squadron of approximately 15 IDF fighter jets, executing Operation Summit of Fire, a surgical bombardment with 10 precision-guided munitions, augmented by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), completing the mission in under 60 seconds.
For the record, Qatar allocates $200 million annually to the US for ‘intelligence sharing’, $150 million for strategic advisory and liaison support, $100 million for joint exercises and procures approximately $2.5 billion in US-manufactured armaments and defence systems. The UAE is another major US client, allocating $150 million annually for ‘intelligence sharing’, $120 million for strategic advisory and liaison support, $80 million for joint exercises; it procures approximately $4 billion in US-manufactured armaments and defense systems.
Collectively, the GCC allocates $700 million annually to the US for ‘intelligence sharing’, $820 million for strategic advisory and liaison support, $435 million for joint exercises, and procures approximately $45 billion in US-manufactured armaments and defence systems.
Lo and behold, the GCC collectively allocates approximately $70 billion annually to the US for ‘security cooperation’, equating to roughly $27,000 per 1,000 square kilometers of its combined territorial expanse of 2,557,000 square kilometers. This investment translates to an estimated $4,000 per household, based on an average household size of 3.5 persons across the GCC’s population of 62 million.
Operation Summit of Fire leveraged precise human intelligence (HUMINT) from Mossad and signals intelligence (SIGINT). On September 9, Qatari air patrols were active, yet its advanced US-supplied systems failed to detect or deter Israel’s Operation Summit of Fire. Remember Qatar’s annual $5 billion investment in US troop sustainment, aircraft maintenance, missile defence systems, operational training, arms procurement, intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, logistics support and advisory services – these assets proved ineffective.
In sum, the GCC’s $70 billion annual ‘security pact’ with the US, totaling $700 billion over a decade, has proven a hollow bargain. Yes, Qatar’s skies were breached. Yes, Qatar’s $5 billion in yearly US defence investments were rendered impotent. Yes, $700 billion bought GCC neither sovereignty nor deterrence.
The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. He tweets/posts @saleemfarrukh and can be reached at: [email protected]
