Increased risk of terrorism, specifically against military bases, should make people think twice before they travel to this once-quiet Gulf Coast Country, according to a January 2025 alert from the government of Australia.
Conflicts in the Middle East could result in an increase in tensions elsewhere in the region and may result in airspace closures, flight cancellations, and other travel disruptions. Demonstrations and protest activity may also occur, and local security situations could deteriorate with little notice.
Conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East could affect Kuwait. Monitor local and international media. There’s an increased risk of terrorism in Kuwait, including threats against military bases. Maintain a high level of security awareness and be aware of your surroundings. Follow the advice of local authorities.
Demonstrations and protests occur and can turn violent quickly. Protesters and security forces have clashed. So avoid large public gatherings. Take care, especially around Friday prayer times. It is illegal for non-Kuwaiti nationals to protest in Kuwait.
Although Kuwait’s overall crime rate is low, armed robberies have been reported, notably in Jahra and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.
Be prepared for extreme weather conditions, the government also warned. Sand and dust storms occur regularly. In the hottest months, between June and September, the temperatures are often above 50°C. Flooding can occur between December and January.
America and Kuwait
Until World War II, no one in America paid much attention to Kuwait. Then, the Middle East was part of the grand strategy for Germany and Japan to take over the world. That goal seems cartoonish now, but in 1941, it was dangerously close to reality. German armies were bearing down on the Suez Canal in Egypt and Stalingrad in southern Russia, while Japanese armies contemplated an invasion of India.
For this reason, and also because of the region’s considerable petroleum reserves, Kuwait suddenly leaped on America’s radar.
A 1982 stock market crash deeply affected the country’s economy, but it soon rebounded. Then, in 1990, Kuwait was invaded and subsequently annexed by Iraq under the leadership of Saddam Hussein following disputes over oil production. The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait ended the next year after an American-led international coalition expelled Iraqi forces from the country during the Gulf War.
However, the Americans did not leave after the war ended. In fact, more American military forces arrived, as did more private military contractors. Kuwait became a staging area for American operations in the region.
America and Kuwait share a cultural kinship as well. For better or worse, both are very diverse. The United States may be the only country in the world where various ethnic groups truly feel free to express themselves. Over three million of Kuwait’s five million residents are foreigners who hail from over one hundred countries.
Kuwait is considered to be a pioneer in the region when it comes to the arts and popular culture, often called the “Hollywood of the Gulf.” The nation started the oldest modern art movement in the Arabian Peninsula and is known to have created among the leading artists in the region. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap operas, is exported to neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
Also like America, Kuwait overcame its isolationist policies to become a founding member of the GCC, as well as a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, and OPEC.
American Contractors and Kuwait
Private military contractors in Kuwait provide security for Americans and American interests while they work on necessary infrastructure projects.
Terrorists rarely go after hard targets like military bases. So, the terrorists in Kuwait are unusually well-financed, organized, and armed. Therefore, private military contractors must be constantly alert. That mindset drains mental energy, making them more vulnerable to physical injury. More on that below.
Security for Americans in Kuwait isn’t limited to military bases. Diplomatic locations, such as consulates, also need protection, as they’re tempting targets. Security needs also extend to public places, like open-air markets and the aforementioned entertainment venues.
Private military contractors are well-suited for such assignments. They keep a low profile, yet everyone knows they are there.
However, most private military contractors in Kuwait are construction or construction support contractors. The American military presence in this country is continually expanding, so military facilities are likewise in constant need of expansion.
Furthermore, armed contractors watch these projects while they are being built, so terrorist attacks do not delay them. Other contractors service and maintain the advanced weapons and aircraft that fill these facilities.
Injury Compensation Available
The cost of living is relatively low in Kuwait, mostly because the government heavily subsidizes food, fuel, and other everyday items. Therefore, most deployed contractors send lots of money home. Their families, in turn, heavily depend on this income.
Of all Defense Base Act benefits, the lost wage replacement benefit may be the most important one, not only to injured contractors but also to their family members. A Defense Base Act lawyer usually obtains one of four kinds of lost wage replacement benefits:
- Permanent Total Disability: Many illnesses and injuries, even those that don’t seem too severe, are individually disabling. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a good example. Many PTSD victims function normally as long as they avoid triggers, like certain places or events. But when your job is a trigger, you must no longer work there, and many private military contractors cannot work elsewhere.
- Permanent Partial Disability: Permanent loss of physical function, such as lost range of motion in a shoulder, is partially disabling. These individuals can still work, but they usually cannot work full-time or as private military contractors. Therefore, the DBA bridges the gap between their old and new wages, cushioning the financial blow.
- Temporary Total Disability: TTD may be the largest Defense Base Act lots wage replacement category, mostly because serious trauma injuries, like falls, are so common among contractors. The lost wage replacement benefit eases troubled minds, so instead of worrying about paying bills and getting better, victims only worry about getting better.
- Temporary Partial Disability: Usually, TPD occurs in the latter stages of TTD. As victims slowly get better, their doctors often clear them to work part-time or accept light-duty assignments. Such assignments allow contractors to contribute to their family’s welfare, but such assignments usually do not pay living wages.
In all these cases, the Defense Base Act usually pays two-thirds of the victim’s average weekly wage (AWW) for the duration of a permanent or temporary disability.
Significantly, the AWW is based on prior and future wages. Assume Rex leaves his job as a truck driver in Kansas and becomes a truck driver in Kuwait. On his first day on the job, he is in a serious accident. His AWW must be based on his higher future wages, not his lower prior wages.
For more information about the DBA process, contact Barnett, Lerner, Karsen, Frankel & Castro, P.A.