The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, led by His Excellency Minister Lt. General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, provided a warm welcome to U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf in Manama on January 5-6, 2021.
H.E. Minister Al Khalifa and Acting Secretary Wolf discussed ways to bolster cyber resilience, combat cybercrime, and strengthen critical infrastructure protection measures between Bahrain’s National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) and DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other operational components. In addition, the two nations explored ways to fortify their relationship on emerging threats.
To ensure maximum security and stability for both nations confronting terrorism, extremism, and transnational crimes, the Kingdom of Bahrain, through its Ministry of Interior, and the United States of America through the Department of Homeland Security, entered into three security partnerships that expand information sharing, build capacity, and exchange expertise and best practices.
These partnerships include entering into two Memoranda of Cooperation regarding border and cargo security and acknowledge not only the current robust law enforcement-to-law enforcement cooperation but also ongoing efforts to counter transnational organized crime and terrorism.
The third partnership includes entering a Memorandum of Cooperation on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry Program. Global Entry will provide Bahraini participants expedited travel to the United States. This program seeks to support commerce and strengthen passenger security.
The Bahraini Ministry of Interior and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security look forward to implementing these three security cooperation agreements that fortify trade and travel between our two nations and reaffirm our longstanding partnership on security.