As of September 3, 2025, the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are now Major Defense Partners. This is a big step for their military ties. This status shows that the two countries are becoming stronger allies, allowing them to work together better on defense. This agreement lets both countries team up on military matters, build skills together, and plan their defense strategies.
As part of the partnership, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster defense innovation and technology collaboration. This initiative is aimed at enhancing the ability of both nations to address military challenges through cutting-edge technologies and non-traditional development processes.
In addition, the UAE has been formally integrated into the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program through a collaboration with the Texas National Guard. This integration is expected to strengthen military modernization, improve capabilities in integrated air and missile defense, cybersecurity, disaster response, and operational planning.
We’re calling the UAE a Major Defense Partner because we trust them. We share goals and have worked together on security for a long time. Our past work together to calm things down, fight threats, and try to bring peace to the Middle East has led us here. This partnership could support our defense and security plans in the region and confirms the UAE’s place as a key US partner in the Gulf.Calling the UAE a Major Defense Partner isn’t just a formality. It means they’re vital for keeping their region and the world safe. This partnership strengthens both our defenses through cooperation on conflicts, cyber attacks, and disaster relief.
It shows that the U.S. and UAE really want to keep the Middle East stable and improve our defenses with new tech. With this stronger relationship, we can work together on strategy, tech, and humanitarian aid. It’s a great example of countries teaming up on defense today.
