

Politically, Kuwait matters because it is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government that is rather unique in the Arab world. On top of that, Kuwait has the world’s oldest, and since last year, third-largest sovereign wealth fund by assets, reaching a record $700 billion, much of which, importantly, is invested in the United States. Kuwait additionally plays an outsize role on the international stage because it is rich in oil, holding approximately 7% of global reserves, with a current production capacity of about 3.15 million barrels per day, making it the 10th-largest producer of petroleum and other liquids in the world. defense planners with responsibilities for the Middle East. It also lies astride the Europe-Asia air corridor and has great ports - assets that are particularly useful for the U.S. It sits in the northeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, sharing land borders with Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south and west, as well as maritime borders with Iran. Though small in size, the country is strategically significant in part because of its geographical location. Kuwait plays a larger role than is often assumed in America’s present and future military plans in the Middle East.

But as Washington prioritizes the Indo-Pacific, with the attendant military drawdown this causes in the Middle East, it is critical that the security arrangement between the United States and Kuwait is reconfigured, with an eye toward developing the Kuwaiti defense system’s Phase Zero preparations as well as its military’s ability to fight alongside U.S. Moreover, Kuwait has long been an indispensable security partner of the United States in the broader Middle East mainly due to its access, military basing, permissions, training, logistics, financial cost, and safety. Though small in size, the country is strategically significant because of its key geographical location in the northeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula and astride the Europe-Asia air corridor, its great seaports, rich petroleum holdings, regionally unique system of constitutional monarchy, and propensity toward taking on a helpful diplomatic mediator role in regional conflicts.
