The Trump administration plans to establish a “Major Defense Partnership” with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), bilateral cooperation that could mean joint weapons development and closer military collaboration between the United States and the wealthy Gulf nation.
The letter of intent, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and UAE Defense Minister Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei on Friday in Abu Dhabi, sets in motion a “roadmap that will guide enhanced military-to-military cooperation, joint capability development, and long-term defense alignment between the two nations,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday.
The designation is significant as the U.S. has only ever signed a similar pact with India. That partnership, inked in 2016, led to expanded military exercises and security agreements and gave New Delhi certain defense trade privileges.
As part of that, Hegseth also announced a “new strategic initiative” between the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and the UAE’s Tawazun Economic Council — the country’s defense and security acquisitions authority — for joint research and development as well as expanded industrial and investment partnerships in both countries.
The Tawazun Economic Council notably signed a term sheet with Raytheon last month to produce its Coyote counter-drone interceptors in the UAE.
In addition, the UAE will enter the U.S. National Guard State Partnership Program, where it will be paired with the Texas National Guard to “bolster military modernization efforts and enhance cooperation in integrated air and missile defense, cybersecurity, disaster response, and operational planning,” according to the Pentagon statement.
The newly inked deal follows President Trump’s visit to the Middle East last week, where he stopped in the UAE and pledged to strengthen U.S. ties to the country.
While Trump was in the region, the U.S. announced deals with the Gulf state totaling more than $200 billion, but that only included a relatively modest number of defense agreements.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said while meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The UAE had sought to join the international F-35 program, but a potential F-35 fighter jet deal to Abu Dhabi was not brought up during the visit. A procurement deal for the UAE to buy the fifth-generation fighters was on track but fell apart in 2021 over U.S. concerns about the Gulf state’s use of Chinese wireless technology.
The Trump administration also last week signed off on $1.4 billion in helicopters and F-16 fighter jet parts to the nation. But Democratic lawmakers have opposed such arms sales to the UAE over its providing of weapons to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, a group the U.S. has charged with war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
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