The United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain extended the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in Washington this past week.
The extension of the DCA was signed on the sidelines of a meeting with His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and the U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, at the Department of State. U.S. Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, took part in the signing ceremony held at the Pentagon.
The Crown Prince and the Secretary of State met at the US States Department. Both reviewed efforts to maintain stability in the region, including Bahrain’s active military role in combating terrorist groups, and the Kingdom’s hosting of over 30 regional and international security partners under the Combined Task Forces.
Prince Salman and the Secretary of Defense also reviewed ways of advancing defense cooperation across a number of areas. He welcomed President Trump’s unequivocal stance regarding Iran’s interference in the region and its sponsorship of terrorism on the global level.
Following his meeting with United States President Donald J. Trump at the White House, Prince Salman spoke about the strength of defense relations between the two countries over the past 70 years. He reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment as a consistent and unwavering military partner to the United States and as host to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The Crown Prince and the US President noted that the extension to the US-Bahrain Defense Cooperation Agreement signals a new phase in the United States’ oldest and strongest partnership in the region, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
The Crown Prince welcomed and underscored the importance of continued cooperation between Bahrain and the U.S. on areas of shared concern. He acknowledged the importance of the U.S. Administration’s ongoing engagement with Bahrain and its allies, noting that enhanced relations between the U.S. and the Kingdom are supporting regional security.
“The defense cooperation represents the cornerstone of long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries,” stated HRH Crown Prince.
“The extension of the Bahrain-U.S. DCA signals the next phase in a strategic partnership that has underpinned bilateral ties for over 70 years,” His Royal Highness noted, lauding Bahrain-U.S.’ alignment on various international security issues.
