Ambassador to US hosts Red Six International President on Bahrain Banter podcast

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain's Ambassador to the U.S. Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa hosted the President of Red Six International Kristen Fontenrose in the third episode of the “Bahrain Banter” podcast.

The discussion revolved around drones, one of the most important current global topics.

In the third episode of the podcast, Shaikh Abdullah touched on several topics, most notably the current assessment of the general security situation in the Middle East, ways for the Arab Gulf states to remain at the forefront of confronting drone attacks, and the processes of importing the technology needed to build and launch armed drones.

Other topics were the types of technologies and systems that are most successful in tracking, countering and shooting down these drones, and the role of the U.S. in exchanging experiences and knowledge with allied countries.

Fontenrose shared her assessment of the security environment in the Middle East and said that she is currently on a tour around the countries of the Middle East.

The technology discussed is of growing importance in all the countries she visited, she added.

She said the best way to address this threat is integrated air and missile defence with multiple and overlapping systems, which countries must confront collectively and not individually.

Fontenrose indicated that the collective efforts do not require highlighting the weaknesses of neighbouring countries, but rather requires Gulf cooperation that seeks a common warning system for the countries.

She added that there are three ways for terrorist groups to import the technology needed to build and launch armed drones, the most prominent of which are commercial suppliers - given that the parts used in these drones are used in all types of drones-, and the black market for expendable parts.

Fontenrose said that technological progress might contribute to terrorist groups not needing to import the necessary pieces, given the development witnessed by these groups, organizations and the countries that stand behind them, in their gaining experience in printing three-dimensional pieces in conjunction with the ease of transferring knowledge between terrorist organizations.

She highlighted that imposing sanctions is not an effective way to address drone programs as equipped drones are not imported, and as there are other ways, such as the market for consumable parts, or similar recreational drone parts.

Therefore, governments should urge factories to verify their customers in order to mitigate the possibility of their equipment falling into the hands of terrorist organizations, she said.

Fontenrose called for multilateral efforts to end support for militias operating against recognized governments internationally.

The "Bahrain Banter" is a monthly podcast in which the Bahraini ambassador in Washington hosts guests to discuss the most important regional and international topics.

It is broadcast through various outlets, including Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Previous guests were former Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer, and the former head of the U.S. Cyber Command, retired General Keith Alexander.