The partner nations are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Egypt and Jordan. Some countries will look at the issue and want to respond to it in a different way than their neighbor, said the official. We want to make sure that everybody gets the early warning of an attack, the official said. The United States is setting up a system that can warn of a missile launch. This requires an agreement and an interoperable communications network.
Active defense means intercepting and destroying missiles.
Today, that means the Patriot missile system. The Saudis and Kuwaitis have the system and the Egyptians have budgeted to buy the system. We re beginning to look at how we integrate that with our forces, the official said. Passive defense includes doctrine, protective gear and medical stockpiles. It also entails making sure the armed forces are prepared to work in a contaminated environment, and determining how a contaminated environment would be cleaned up.