(JNS) The head of the U.S. Air Force’s Middle East command says there is enthusiasm for regional defense partnerships, even after President Joe Biden’s regional air-defense alliance proposal ran up against Gulf opposition.

“While some sort of a regional alliance faced—we’ll say a cool reception—what did not face a cool reception is the idea that we could partner together in the region in order to gain better awareness of threats from the air or from the atmosphere,” Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, Commander, Ninth Air Force and the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for U.S. Central Command (more commonly known as AFCENT) told JNS.

Ahead of and during Biden’s July trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, the administration floated the idea of a Middle East air-defense alliance that would give participants more insight into potential aerial threats, including ballistic missiles and drones. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz publicly proclaimed the Jewish state’s participation in the project.

“The issue with the ballistic missile threat is that it doesn’t just emanate from Iran proper, but there are ballistic missiles that have been sighted with militant groups in Iraq, there’s ballistic missiles in Syria; the Houthis down in Yemen have ballistic missiles,” said Grynkewich, claiming the same is true about the unmanned aerial vehicle threat.