The former President Donald Trump, in his final hours in the office, approved the UAE F-35 sale. However, as soon as the Joe Biden administration came into power the UAE defense deal was put under a review. Later, Biden announced in April to move forward with the deal worth $23 billion, which comprised of 50 F-35 fighter jets, 18 Reaper drones along with other advanced munitions.
Now, US officials are at a crossroad concerning the sale of their F-35 jets to the Gulf nation following the questionable relation of its biggest ally in the Middle East with its biggest rival — UAE and China.
Friend or Enemy: US Dubious of UAE’s Commitment
The F-35s are US’ most advanced jet fighters — a reason enough to be concerned about the technology reaching in the wrong hands. Even though the UAE F-35 sale isn’t happening for a long time, at least until 2027, yet the growing relations between Beijing and Abu Dhabi have contributed to the many hurdles already in the finalization of the F-35 deal.
US officials seek guarantee from the government of the United Arab Emirates that it won’t allow China or any other nation, for that matter, to access the technology used in the latest American war planes.
According to a 2020 report by the Pentagon on the ambitions of the Chinese military, the UAE has already been one nation that it is “very likely considering and planning for additional overseas military logistics facilities.” In addition to military material, the Asian country also seems to have aspirations of setting up a navy base in the UAE, as per some defense officials. Meanwhile, an intelligence report already indicates that China has had a word with the Emirati government on the deployment of several hundred military personnel in the Gulf nation.
A US official working on the national security concern closely, claimed “The U.A.E.’s general view is, if they buy military equipment from another government, then it’s up to them to decide how and when it’s used.”
Meanwhile, in defense of his homeland, UAE’s Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba said, “The U.A.E. has a long and consistent track record of protecting U.S. military technology, both in coalitions where we’ve served alongside the U.S. military and inside the U.A.E. where a broad range of sensitive U.S. military assets have been deployed for many years.”
However, one uncertain situation has given birth to another dodgy situation where it appears that the UAE has been cultivating a security relation in both, Washington and Beijing, as per Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s David Schenker.
As per a US official, it is certain that the Gulf nation would be blocking itself out of the UAE F-35 sale by forging further military relations with China, pointing at the establishment of the said military base. The problem according to the official would be what constitutes a “base” may be a point of conflict for the Washington and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
