From September 25-26, senior delegations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States (U.S.) convened in Abu Dhabi for the 9th U.S.-UAE Joint Military Dialogue (JMD). The UAE delegation was led by Assistant Under Secretary for Policy & Defense Communication His Excellency Ali Al Ahmed and the U.S. delegation was led by Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs, The Honorable Daniel Zimmerman.
The JMD is the preeminent bilateral forum for advancing the U.S.-UAE defense partnership, providing an opportunity to review common security concerns, develop joint approaches, and advance shared goals in support of a more secure and prosperous UAE and broader Middle East region.
The delegations discussed a range of bilateral and regional defense issues, including integrated air and missile defense, military cooperation, foreign military sales, and emerging capabilities development. The JMD provided an opportunity for delegations to build out the newly announced partnerships between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE's Tawazun Council, as well as the UAE and the Texas National Guard under the State Partnership Program.
The United States and the UAE reaffirmed their commitment to a strong and mutually beneficial bilateral defense relationship, and to enhancing military-to-military cooperation, joint capability development, and long-term defense alignment between the two nations. As Major Defense Partners (MDP), the two sides agreed to deepen their cooperation across multiple domains to advance shared objectives, including a commitment to sign a Special Operations Forces Statement of Intent in the near future. The UAE is one of two countries that was designated by the United States as an MDP. The United States and UAE will continue to invest in this critical partnership on the basis of mutual respect, common interests, and a shared vision of peace through strength.