The Gulf Cooperation Council’s Unified Military Command

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the following questions: why did GCC decide to establish this military command? Why has the creation of this been so progressive in terms of Gulf defense cooperation? What are the characteristics of this military command ought to be? In strictly theoretical terms, this research seeks to codify the correlation between the concept of the military command as the exercise of authority by a properly designated commander over attached forces in the accomplishment of a military mission, and the concept of the threat as a key element in any defense system. This correlation allows understanding how to think about command structure in all its facets. On the practical side, this research aims, beyond the divergent individual member-state threat perceptions and national interests, to demonstrate the opportunities related to this unified command in terms of regional integration of GCC armed forces (e.g., interoperability, unification of the weapons systems, definition of a clear mission direction for the armed forces provided by the political leadership, creation of a new generation of Gulf officers,...). The structure of this study reads as follows: The first part deals with the concept of unified military command. The second addresses an historical background on the GCC’s defense cooperation to understand the limits and the achievements in this field of regional integration. The third part is entirely devoted to the characteristics and structure of this command. Finally, the fourth one conclude with political challenges and strategic impacts generated by GCC’s decision to establish a unified military command.