Washington, DC : Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with the Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, in Jeddah to discuss bilateral defence ties and ongoing initiatives to de-escalate tensions across West Asia.
Reaffirming the strategic security partnership between Riyadh and Washington, Saudi Arabia's Embassy in the US outlined the key agenda items covered during the high-level talks. "His Royal Highness #Crown_Prince meets with the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, and they discuss a number of topics related to cooperation between the Kingdom and the United States in defense fields, in addition to developments in the regional situation, and the efforts being made to de-escalate and enhance security and stability in the region," the Embassy wrote in a post on X.
The meeting comes as Saudi Arabia and the United States continue close diplomatic and defence coordination aimed at maintaining maritime security, preventing further conflict spillovers, and reinforcing regional stability.
Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced plans to establish the first-ever multinational, multi-domain attack drone task force to integrate unmanned systems operated by the United States and regional partners across West Asia, amid continuing conflict and heightened security tensions in the region.
The new unit, designated Task Force Falcon Strike, will employ one-way attack drones comprising unmanned systems operating above, on and below the sea, CENTCOM said in a statement on Thursday. The initiative comes nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, described by the US military as its first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East. Scorpion Strike has since reached several operational milestones, including the first launch of an aerial attack drone from a US Navy warship in December last year.
The unit also employed one-way unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and used unmanned attack vessels during strikes on Iranian port facilities in July, according to CENTCOM. "Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike's success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners," said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
CENTCOM has begun consultations with regional countries and is formally inviting partners to participate in the task force. As partners join, Falcon Strike is expected to expand attack-drone capabilities across West Asia and develop what CENTCOM described as a unified, multi-domain, multinational deterrent.