On 15 and 16 July 2026, NATO's Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, visited Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, Virginia. He met with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier, to discuss the implementation of a new set of Flagship Projects with NATO's Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) partners Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Allies launched the ICI Flagship Projects at the NATO Summit in Ankara earlier this month, focusing on areas of shared interest with Gulf partners, such as maritime security, countering Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), defence against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats, and countering terrorism. The ICI Flagship Projects will support ICI partners in countering security challenges, while also further leveraging existing capabilities to contribute to NATO's security.
