UAE - Military Linkages.

Over the years, the military linkages between the UAE and the US have been gradually accumulating. Private commercial ties, which carried over from the Trucial States to the UAE in 1972, have developed into friendly government-to-government ties, which now include significant security assistance and co-operation.

The first major boost in security relations came after the 1991 Gulf war, and has been enhanced in the years since. The two countries concluded a Defence Cooperation Agreement in 1994. In recent years US Navy vessels have averaged around 200 calls a year on Jebel Ali port alone. The key facilities available to the US military in the UAE include the following.

Al Dhafra Air Base is located about an hour outside of Abu Dhabi. It is from here that the US Air Force's 763rd Expeditionary Air Refuelling Squadron used to conduct in-flight refuelling missions throughout south-west Asia in support of Operation Southern Watch, a coalition force tasked to monitor implementation of restrictions on air and ground operations in southern Iraq. Both U-2s and Global Hawk spy planes operated from here since early in Operation Enduring Freedom which began in October 2001 to oust the Taliban in Afghanistan. Nearly 300 US personnel are deployed at Al Dhafra.

Fujairah became a convenient 'bunker stop" for the US navy during the middle years of the Iran/Iraq war, in the mid-1980s. The Fujairah to Jebel Ali land link is the navy's logistics pipeline to the Gulf should the Strait of Hormuz be closed. Located on the Gulf of Oman, Fujairah is the hub logistics site for air cargo coming from Japan and other points in the Pacific theatre via US military facilities at Diego Garcia on the Indian Ocean. Cargo unloaded at Fujairah, on the Gulf of Oman, can be subsequently transported via highway to destinations on the Arabian Gulf and hence bypass the need for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. From late October 2001 to early March 2002, 36 personnel from US Navy Cargo Handling and Port Group deployed to Bahrain and Fujairah in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Jebel Ali has become a favourite port of US navy vessels in the Gulf, and is the most frequented port outside of the US. This port has become a familiar stop for carrier battle groups while deployed to the Arabian Gulf. Part of Dubai emirate, Jebel Ali is the UAE surface hub logistics site for the US in the region. It is served by container ships with military cargoes from Guam and other Pacific ports.

Port Rashid is located in Dubai and is one of the modern ports in the UAE and with its strategic location, has become leading ports in the area, although Jebel Ali Port is larger. In 1998, a remote operating base - Arkansas Anchorage - was established 80 miles offshore in the Persian Gulf. This ensured the safety of ships and personnel of the US Military Sealift Command's Afloat Prepositioning Squadron Four, while also ensuring that the resources were available to quickly respond to the theatre commander (Central Command). US navy vessels also have access to Mina Zayed (or Port Zayed) is of Abu Dhabi.