{"id":40318,"date":"2019-11-22T13:18:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T13:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/22\/the-uae-wants-partnerships-to-develop-cutting-edge-tech-the-us-has-questions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:17:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:17:59","slug":"the-uae-wants-partnerships-to-develop-cutting-edge-tech-the-us-has-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/dubai-air-show\/2019\/11\/22\/the-uae-wants-partnerships-to-develop-cutting-edge-tech-the-us-has-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"The UAE wants partnerships to develop cutting-edge tech. The US has questions."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates launched a government-owned defense conglomerate<\/a> formed with the aim of spearheading advanced technology development projects with other nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if the UAE wants to partner with the United States<\/a> on those efforts, it will need to satisfy U.S. concerns about data security, said R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political military affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir aspiration is to get beyond providing, say, nuts and bolts to significant platforms or equipment. They want to move into more of a research and development space, which we would certainly welcome,\u201d Cooper told reporters during a Nov. 18 roundtable at Dubai Airshow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for more from Dubai Airshow 2019.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe caveat to that is that as they move forward to a research and development space is seeking additional assurances on tech security and seeking additional manifestations or evidence of refined procurement processes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UAE established Edge, a government owned conglomerate of around 25 companies worth a combined annual revenue of $5 billion, to create cutting-edge defense products and rapidly bring them to market. The organization will focus on platforms and systems; missiles and weapons; cyber defense; electronic warfare and intelligence; and mission support, Faisal Al Bannai, CEO and managing director of Edge, told Defense News earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The inauguration ceremony of Edge took place at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in the United Arab Emirates. (Hamad Al Mansoori for the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To do this, it will rely not only on investments that cut across existing UAE defense firms, but partnerships with international companies and academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if the UAE wants to do research or production with the U.S. military, there will have to be \u201cvisible guarantees” in place, Clarke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That means standing up and creation of some entities other than Edge that comport with research and development,\u201d for instance, organizations with oversight authorities and the responsibility to safeguard data and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\t