Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba’s complete response to Sen @ChrisMurphyCT on the UAE’s defense modernization package including the F-35 continues here.

To clarify another key issue, there has never been a report of US technology being diverted to an adversary by the UAE.

The US confidence in the UAE is obvious at the Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi where the UAE hosts US F-35 squadrons and just about everything else the US Air Force flies.

Further to the point, for more than 20 years, the US has entrusted the UAE to purchase and operate F-16s, Patriots, THAAD and many other of the most advanced US-supplied defense systems.

The description of the UAE as having “very close, active defense partnerships with both China and Russia” is a gross overstatement. The UAE has economic & diplomatic relationships w/ both and has only made purchases from each when the US could not supply critical equipment.

The UAE need for advanced drones is a response to their growing sophistication and deployment by adversaries across the region, including Iran and non-state actors. They are critical to the UAE’s defense just as they are to the US and other partners.

We would rather have the best US-equipment or we will reluctantly find it from other sources, even if less capable.

Finally, many Members see this as an investment in the US. The UAE is already the largest buyer of US goods in the Middle East & the defense sale will support tens of thousands of US jobs, sustain the US defense industrial base & lower future US R&D costs. https://bit.ly/39zQaQV 

To sum up Sen @ChrisMurphyCT, the US is the UAE’s security partner of choice. We want US defense equipment, training and coordination. In the world’s most dangerous neighborhood, it is critical for our protection and for our shared interests and values w/ the US.

It allows us to take up more of the burden from the US. To get all the facts, visit http://uae-embassy.org/f-35