Bahrain should be ‘at the heart’ of the UK’s strategy in the GCC and could be an ideal site for a joint UK-Bahrain centre for maritime autonomy, according to a decorated former British Army (BA) veteran.
In a recent column published in the British daily The Telegraph, Retired Colonel Tim Collins, OBE, also noted that a deeper partnership between Bahrain and the UK could reinforce Britain’s industrial strategy, create export opportunities and enhance regional security.
“Britain is among the world’s leaders in autonomous mine countermeasures and unmanned maritime systems. Bahrain offers the ideal location to develop, test and deploy these capabilities alongside Gulf partners,” he said.
“A joint UK-Bahrain centre for maritime autonomy could bring together the Royal Navy, British industry and regional allies to pioneer autonomous mine clearance, protect subsea communications cables, secure offshore energy infrastructure and strengthen maritime domain awareness across one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways.”
The retired Northern Irish military officer served from 1981 to 2004 in the British Army and made waves with his eve-of-battle speech ahead of the Iraq War, in which he called on his regiment to ‘liberate, not conquer’ while respecting local heritage, and behaving with strict honour.
Ret Col Collins recently visited Bahrain and met with senior Bahraini officials, including Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Deputy National Security Adviser Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Jaber Al Khalifa. Discussions ranged from trade and regional security to defence and emerging technologies.
According to Ret Col Collins, authorities in Bahrain noted that it was the duty of the international community to ensure the freedom of international maritime trade, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, and that Bahrain was one of just a few countries that supported Operation Prosperity Guardian – a US-led military coalition formed in December 2023 in response to Houthi-led attacks in the Red Sea.
Among the topics discussed during Ret Col Collins’ visit to Bahrain was the role the kingdom could play in building peace in the region.
“If political change eventually comes to Iran, Britain and its allies should already have engaged regional partners capable of encouraging stability, reconciliation and economic renewal,” he explained.
“Bahrain deserves to be among those partners from the outset. The essential Bahraini contribution is the idea that reconciliation is as much an administrative process as a moral one: inquiries, reinstatement, compensation, police oversight, employment, dialogue and institutional continuity.”
The retired colonel also highlighted the two-century-old relationship between Bahrain and the UK, adding that the Gulf kingdom’s influence comes from ‘the trust it commands’ both in the UK and across the Arabian Gulf.
Noting the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) alongside Bahrain and the US, as well as the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement earlier this year, Ret Col Collins added that the pacts should be a ‘foundation for something much more ambitious’.
“The next step should be to make Bahrain Britain’s principal Gulf hub for maritime innovation,” he explained.
“The character of naval warfare is changing. Autonomous surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles and artificial intelligence are becoming as strategically important as frigates and destroyers.
“At the same time, undersea communications cables, energy pipelines and critical offshore infrastructure have become increasingly attractive targets for hostile states and non-state actors.”
In addition to hosting Britain’s permanent naval headquarters east of Suez at the UK Maritime Component Command in Juffair, Bahrain was commended for its sophisticated financial sector and a regulatory environment that welcomes innovation.
“The Gulf is entering a period of profound strategic change, and Britain must ensure it has the right partners to navigate it,” Ret Col Collins noted.
“No country is better placed to be that partner than Bahrain.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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