Middle east defense: Emirates invest billions to stay on top in Persian Gulf.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates--Infusing billions of dollars into defense programs, this small Persian Gulf nation--in the shadow of Iran--is vastly increasing its military power.

The United Arab Emirates not only is purchasing jet fighters, tanks, ships and air-defense systems, but it also is beefing up its nuclear, biological and chemical defense capabilities, communications and early warning systems, while satisfying its insatiable need for trucks and armored vehicles, said Brigadier Staff Obaid Al Ketbi, one of the top UAE armed forces procurement officials.

In order to tie all its military resources together and be capable of rapid response, UAE officials are working on a joint-service logistics concept, Ketbi told National Defense.

"It will be an integrated joint logistics system for all the armed forces," he said. While the army, navy, coast guard and air force, with an estimated total of 60,000 personnel, are trained to operate together, "logistics still has to be worked on," he said. "We are trying to speed the process for joint logistics to be able to follow the operational side."

Military planners also take into account the government's desire to strengthen the domestic industrial base and build a close relationship with the private sector, Ketbi explained.

The UAE has worked on this project with Australia, which also is looking to adopt a concept for joint logistics, said Ketbi. UAE officials visited the United States to observe how logistics is conducted jointly. "I have to say that we are a little bit ahead," he observed.

With a flexible acquisition strategy, the UAE--which now has reached a gross domestic product of $93.6 billion--for years has opened its defense market to cutthroat competition from companies around the world. The UAE market is open to all competitors, Ketbi said. "We have specific requirements, and always try to acquire the best equipment that suits those requirements. This reflects the myriad of equipment from all over the world."

Terrorism concerns are determining the country's procurement and military training, said Ketbi. "Terrorism could come as a direct threat, electronic threat, [or] in the form of bombs," he said. "We are focusing on training to deal with all these scenarios." There is a lot of work and cooperation going on in this area, not only in the UAE, but in all the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

The threat of weapons of mass destruction has become a heightened concern for the GCC countries, and the UAE's investments alone reflect that. The country is investing approximately $200 million to buy 22 of the latest generation Fuchs armored nuclear, biological, chemical detection vehicles built by the German company; Rheinmetall Landsysteme. This award comes after a four-year competition between Rheinmetall, SteyrDaimler-Puch, an Austrian company, and the United Kingdom's BAE Systems.

The Fuchs is an NBC reconnaissance vehicle, which is designed to spot agents both on the ground and in the air. The UAE systems will be built to the latest standards, said company officials. The Fuchs already is in use in the United States, Germany. United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands and Norway.

UAE forces, which operate in the desert, need considerable mobility, Ketbi said. Therefore, each year between August and September--the hottest months of the year, when temperatures reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit--the armed forces test their 4X4s.

"Everybody in the world is lining up for that," he said. "Specialized people drive them through the desert with no shade. They are driven from Abu Dhabi through all the Emirates." This competition has become a tradition, he added, and a way to pick the very best trucks.

The UAE has been just as stringent with the selection of its battle tank and armored vehicles. After years of disagreements over the contract, the country took the last delivery of its 388 Leclerc tanks from the French company, Giat Industries.

The Leclerc weighs 56 tons and can go from zero to 36 kilometers an hour in less than six seconds. It uses the NATO 120 mm gun with an automatic loading system. The tank is equipped with composite and modular protection and each vehicle is outfitted with a battle management system.

The UAE also put an order worth approximately $3.5 billion for 46 armored recovery vehicles. Also, from the French, the UAE took delivery at the end of last year of 24 Vehicule Blinde Leger, in short VBL, built by Panhard. Known on the international market as the "ULTRAV," the lightweight armored vehicle gained fame serving with the French detachments in the former Yugoslavia.

The UAE late last year also received the first delivery of the Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 self-propelled air-defense systems, which the country custom-ordered in mid-2000 for a price tag of more than $500 million. The final delivery of the 50 systems is scheduled for this year. The Pantsir-S1 is mounted on an 8x8 truck and its turret holds 12 modified SA-19 missiles with a range of 39,000 feet, said officials. The Pantsir has tracking and surveillance radars and electro-optical sensors.

Placing strong emphasis on its communications networks, the UAE awarded, during its biannual military show IDEX, a contract worth approximately $150 million to Rohde & Schwarz of Germany. In the next two years, the company will modernize the communications system of the entire armed forces, said Ketbi.

Rohde & Schwarz specializes in communications, as well as test and measurement equipment. The company has had close business relations with the UAE for a number of years. As early as 1993, for example, Rohde & Schwarz set up a center in the UAE to service, calibrate and repair its equipment. Last year, Rohde & Schwarz was awarded a contract to modernize the radio-communications system of the UAE navy, said company reports.

Meanwhile, the UAE's plans to acquire Northrop Grumman's E-2C Hawkeye 2000 early warning aircraft have been scrapped after the United States prohibited the full release of the Link-16 communications relay system. The Emirates are planning to restart a competition to acquire this capability, said Ketbi.

With a variety of equipment from all over the world, compatibility becomes a critical issue for the UAE armed forces, said Ketbi. Interoperability "is being set and determined before the program is signed," he explained. "We always look for interfaces ... You may have to pay more, but if you start at the beginning, you avoid any complications."

To be able to operate a broad range of equipment, "you have to have your own model," he noted. That is why the one that the Emirates chose is "effective and can suit a lot of requirements," he added. As part of its model, the UAE sends its officers around the world to train with and observe other militaries. Troops are sent to the United States, Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt, said Ketbi.

Jointness is a buzzword in this small desert nation. "We have joint training and a joint strategy for homeland security, not only within the armed forces, but also with civil defense and everyone else involved in it," Ketbi said. Every year, two to three training exercises are scheduled, he explained.

Multi-national training exercises also are crucial, Ketbi said. "There is much of that going on with the United States, Europe and the GCC countries," he said. "It is important to have similar equipment, and we need close coordination and communication."

Over time, the UAE has participated in a series of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, Ketbi added. Its forces were present in Somalia, Lebanon, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, where the UAE offered health services.