Pakistan, Kuwait Sign Protocol Agreement-2026 to Expand Military Cooperation

Islamabad (Terror Monitor) — Pakistan and Kuwait have signed the “Protocol Agreement-2026” to significantly strengthen the existing military cooperation framework between the two countries, amid broader efforts by Pakistan and Gulf states to deepen defence and security partnerships.

The agreement builds on the Defence Cooperation Agreement-2023, which Pakistan and Kuwait signed in Kuwait on June 11, 2023, with the stated objective of expanding bilateral defence cooperation.

Under the newly signed protocol, the Pakistan Armed Forces will provide assistance to the Kuwaiti Armed Forces in several areas, including military training, capacity building, border management and other mutually agreed fields of defence cooperation, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence.

The agreement was signed during a high-level visit by a Kuwaiti defence delegation to Rawalpindi, led by Kuwaiti Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Saleem Al-Sabah. The delegation also included Lieutenant General Khalid Darj Saad Al-Shriaan, Chief of General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces.

The Kuwaiti delegation met Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif at the Ministry of Defence in Rawalpindi. The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on bilateral defence relations, security cooperation and ways to further strengthen military ties between Pakistan and Kuwait.

Pakistan’s government described the new protocol as reflecting the “deep trust, mutual respect and shared strategic interests” underpinning the longstanding defence relationship between the two countries. Both sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen the partnership in support of mutual security and regional peace and stability.

Part of Pakistan’s Expanding Gulf Defence Partnerships

The Pakistan-Kuwait agreement comes only weeks after Pakistan entered into a significantly broader defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, reflecting a growing emphasis on regional defence cooperation.

On August 7, 2026, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in the Saudi city of Makkah. The agreement provides that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three, while also calling for enhanced defence cooperation and collective deterrence.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has described the Makkah agreement as defensive in nature and said it is not directed against any particular country. Islamabad has also stressed that the agreement does not replace existing bilateral or multilateral defence arrangements.

The Saudi-Türkiye-Pakistan pact therefore differs in scope from the new Pakistan-Kuwait protocol. While the Makkah agreement establishes a collective defence commitment among its three signatories, the Pakistan-Kuwait Protocol Agreement-2026 focuses primarily on expanding practical military cooperation, including training, capacity building and border management.

The developments nevertheless point to a broader strengthening of Pakistan’s defence relationships with Gulf countries at a time of heightened security concerns across the Middle East.

Pakistan has maintained longstanding military ties with Gulf states, including training and defence cooperation, while Kuwait and Pakistan have sought to build upon their 2023 defence cooperation agreement. The latest protocol provides an additional framework for expanding these military links.

For Kuwait, cooperation with Pakistan offers access to the experience and training capabilities of one of the region’s largest armed forces. For Pakistan, deeper defence engagement with Kuwait adds another layer to its expanding security relationships with Gulf partners.

The latest agreement also comes against the backdrop of increasing regional security cooperation, as Gulf countries seek to strengthen their own defence capabilities and develop closer partnerships with regional military powers.

Islamabad has repeatedly framed its recent defence agreements as measures aimed at strengthening regional stability, deterrence and collective security, rather than as arrangements directed against any particular state.

The signing of the Protocol Agreement-2026 thus marks a further step in the expansion of Pakistan-Kuwait military relations and comes at a time when Pakistan is simultaneously deepening its strategic defence partnerships with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.