The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, welcomed President Donald Trump in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
May 20 (UPI) — Following President Trump’s recent diplomatic visit to the Middle East, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are enhancing their economic and defense cooperation.
Representatives from the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit and the UAE’s Tawazun Council formalized a memorandum of understanding aimed at bolstering defense collaboration between the two countries, as reported by the Department of Defense on Tuesday.
DIU Director Doug Beck stated, “We are constructing a global network that promotes collaboration to address emerging threats.”
Beck further explained, “We are hastening the integration of commercial technologies into defense sectors.”
He emphasized that this accelerated integration will be achieved through joint development efforts involving national security experts, private sector partners, and innovative companies.
The memorandum outlines the adoption of “non-traditional methods” to create and access “state-of-the-art technologies” intended to enhance the defense capabilities of both nations.
This collaborative initiative aims to expand defense-related investments and industrial partnerships, fostering a “robust international community of defense innovation entities,” according to the Department of Defense.
The Defense Department expressed its commitment to improving best practices for leveraging and distributing the finest commercially derived technologies to support military operations that defend the principles of a free and open international system, achieved through mission-driven cooperation among the involved nations.
During his Thursday announcement, Trump also revealed $200 billion in commercial partnerships between the U.S. and the UAE.
This agreement involves establishing an artificial intelligence alliance and launching a 1-gigawatt AI technology cluster in Abu Dhabi.
In addition, the UAE’s Etihad Airways plans to invest $14.5 billion in acquiring 28 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft, equipped with GE Aerospace engines.
Emirates Global Aluminum will contribute $4 billion toward developing an aluminum smelter in Oklahoma, which aims to double the nation’s aluminum production capacity.
UAE firms will also work alongside U.S. oil and natural gas producers to increase production and lower energy costs in both countries.
Several additional agreements were finalized during Trump’s Middle East visit, amounting to a total of $2 trillion in investment commitments, as noted by White House officials.