The UAE’s increasingly capable military will help it respond to regional threats and better handle its own security at a time in which the US is actively seeking to disengage from the region, according to US security experts.
In the US capital of Washington DC, the UAE is widely regarded as having the most capable military in the Arab world, with former Marine Corps general and Secretary of Defence James Mattis famously dubbing it “Little Sparta.”
In a recent panel discussion organised by the Arab Gulf States Institute of Washington (AGSIW), Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute praised the UAE for taking an “extremely intelligent and extremely strategic” view towards their security.
“We’ve seen how they have systematically figured out every single thing they could do to squeeze greater military effectiveness, efficiency and competence out of the force, building layer upon layer,” he said. “They now have a small force that is highly capable.”
The UAE, he added, has a level of capability that is on-par with many American NATO allies. The US security posture in the region, however, may rapidly change during the new administration of Joe Biden.
“The strategic circumstances of the emirates are changing dramatically. The United States is disengaging from the Middle East. We are not going to be there and as protective as we have been,” Pollack said. “[The UAE] has recognized this and are trying, in smart care of problems, but we are now getting into an era where we want to do and sophisticated ways, to figure out how to better handle their security.”
Over the last several weeks, the changing US strategy towards the Middle East has been starkly highlighted by the January 27 announcement of a temporary freeze in arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, pending a review of deals set up under the previous administration.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has repeatedly expressed concerns about commitments and deals made during the Trump years.
Former President Donald Trump
In his remarks, Pollack noted that many US policymakers have expressed concern that the UAE and other Gulf allies will turn to Russia or China to fulfill their military requirements.
“There is a lot of fear in the United States,” he said. “But the Russians don’t share the same interests [as the Gulf] and the Chinese tend to be very transactional. You need to have long-term relationships.”
A strong UAE and other Gulf states, he added, is ultimately beneficial for US interests in the region.
“We want [them] to develop their military capabilities so that they can do things and we don’t have to,” he said.
In January, just days before the end of the Biden administration, the US designated the UAE and Bahrain as “major security partners”, a previously unheard-of designation.
In a statement at the time, the White House said the designation was partly a result of the Abraham Accords with Israel and “reflects their extraordinary courage, determination and leadership.”
Follow us on
