4. Area of Responsibility:

The 19 countries within the USCENTCOM area of responsibility include: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Yemen. This region contains more than 70 percent of the world's oil reserves, making it vital to the economies of the United States and its allies. It also includes the major maritime trade routes linking the Middle East, Europe, South and East Asia and the Western Hemisphere, and maritime choke points such as the Straits of Hormuz and the Suez Canal.