UAE Receives U.S. Ammunition Deal: A Sign of Strengthened Ties with Israe

The United States has approved a $1.2 billion sale of precision munitions for multiple launch rocket systems to the UAE, as a new incentive for Abu Dhabi’s support of Israel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

According to a recent official U.S. announcement, the proposed sale of GMLRS rockets and ATACMS missiles ‘will advance U.S. foreign policy and national security goals’ by bolstering the security of a key regional partner.

The statement also noted that ‘the initiative will improve the UAE’s capacity to confront current and future threats by modernizing its military forces.’

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of munitions to the UAE and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has submitted the required notification to Congress, which still needs to sign off on the deal.

For its part, an American think tank stated that the United States rewarded the UAE for its poor behavior by designating it as a ‘major defense partner,’ reflecting a consistently misleading approach to dealing with the Middle East.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft highlighted that with this new classification, the UAE joins India as the only two countries recognized in this category, which the White House said would facilitate ‘unprecedented cooperation’ in achieving ‘regional stability’ in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

Amid a Middle East poised for potential full-scale war, Abu Dhabi’s push to present itself as a rational and assertive state appears logical. However, a look at the UAE’s recent record in the Middle East and Africa reveals that it does not fully meet these criteria.

Although the UAE has been commended for its support of numerous U.S.-backed coalitions and enjoys a relatively positive reputation compared to some of its neighbors, Mohammed bin Zayed’s regime has simultaneously sought to advance its interests through various aggressive and destabilizing actions. This includes extending civil wars in Libya and Yemen (in violation of U.S. and international law), destabilizing the Horn of Africa, and strengthening political and economic ties with Russia.

Yasser Zidan, a PhD student at the University of Washington and a former lecturer at the National University of Sudan, states: “The UAE is aggressively seeking to establish an economic foothold in Africa and East Asia… They are truly everywhere, trying to pursue their interests even through military means, not just through economic policy.”

Yet what is even more concerning is the ‘secret’ support the UAE has extended to the Rapid Support Forces during their brutal 18-month civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces associated with the military government.

The evidence of war crimes, civil genocide, and widespread sexual violence in the first six months of the war was so stark that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued an official condemnation, adding allegations of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing by the Rapid Support Forces.

Last week, the UAE and the United States both reaffirmed their position that there is ‘no military solution’ to the war in Sudan. The UAE continues to deny any bias toward either side, even as accusations and evidence to the contrary continue to accumulate.

In January, the United Nations reported ‘reliable’ evidence that the UAE was sending weapons to the British Royal Air Force ‘multiple times a week’ via northern Chad, a blatant violation of the recently extended arms embargo on the Sudanese region of Darfur.

In August 2023, The Wall Street Journal published a report about an incident where the UAE tried to deliver military and financial aid disguised as humanitarian assistance to Sudan.

Abu Dhabi also serves as a hub for business, finance, and logistics for the Rapid Support Forces, with Emirati investors recently securing a $6 billion deal to support Sudanese gold export ports along the Red Sea.

According to Dr. Anil Shilin, a researcher at the Quincy Institute, the agreement between the United States and the UAE highlights a rising trend among middle powers to effectively leverage geopolitical advantages from major global powers—including the U.S., as well as China and Russia in the case of the UAE—to sustain and expand their influence.

Shilin stated, ‘This trend will become increasingly evident, and we will need American leaders who are not willing to submit to limitations and continue to give these other powers what they want—without clear reciprocity. What the U.S. has gained from this is not apparent, and it seems quite inappropriate to me, given that the UAE is not behaving in the ways the U.S. would like to see from a close partner.’

One thing is clear: the UAE has a range of bold political priorities throughout the Middle East and Africa. The obvious ‘secrets’ related to Sudan and other contentious conflicts, coupled with the UAE’s weak attempts to deny them, may create an awkward situation for the United States given its newly close relationship with Abu Dhabi.

With this new ‘major partner,’ the United States, which has already broadened its reach in other areas of the Middle East, faces the risk of becoming entangled in numerous violent conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, and diplomatic divisions across the region.

The American institute asserted that Biden and his successor must recognize that the risks of losing influence to China or Russia in the Gulf pale in comparison to those associated with aligning themselves with Abu Dhabi and its controversial foreign policy platform.