[STARLIT]

Thomas did a great job on his post. I caught it earlier and as usual he really opens my eyes to the military power of our country. Thanks.

I saw somewhere..I'll try to go back and post the troubling picture of a released soldier recently. He's very thin..perhaps was being stared while captured. Sad.

[TEXOKIE]

Had not heard of Gulf Cooperation Council

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council

Gulf Cooperation Council
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf, except for Iraq. Its member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Charter of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on 25 May 1981, formally establishing the institution.More at Wikipedia

ALSO:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gulf-Cooperation-Council

“... Presidency of the council rotates annually.

Arguably the most important article of the GCC charter is Article 4, which states that the alliance was formed to strengthen relations among its member countries and to promote cooperation among the countries’ citizens. The GCC also has a defense planning council that coordinates military cooperation between member countries. The highest decision-making entity of the GCC is the Supreme Council, which meets on an annual basis and consists of GCC heads of state. Decisions of the Supreme Council are adopted by unanimous approval. The Ministerial Council, made up of foreign ministers or other government officials, meets every three months to implement the decisions of the Supreme Council and to propose new policy. The administrative arm of the alliance is the office of the Secretariat-General, which monitors policy implementation and arranges meetings. Some of the most important achievements of the GCC include the creation of the Peninsula Shield Force, a joint military venture based in Saudi Arabia, and the signing of an intelligence-sharing pact in 2004....”

AND MORE: [hmmmmmmmmm]

http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/gcc

“The World Bank has been a strong partner to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries for over 40 years. Governments in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have mobilized the Bank’s global knowledge and development experience through technical assistance programs.”