Despite the coronavirus pandemic, UAE soldiers and 4,000 US troops joined up to carry out an exercise on 21 and 22 March on a military base in the UAE.”
3/24/20, “Intel: US conducts separate military drills with UAE, Israel despite coronavirus," Al-Monitor “The United States conducted military exercises with Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today and Monday despite the global coronavirus pandemic.
The Associated Press reported that American and Emirati forces went ahead with the biennial Native Fury exercise on Monday, which involved thousands of troops storming an imaginary city at al-Hamra military base in the UAE.
And today [Tues., 3/24], the United States and Israeli air forces went ahead with a joint exercise involving F-35 fighter jets.
Israel permitted the drill despite the country-wide quarantine because it involved no physical ground contact.
Why it matters: The UAE exercise, which takes place every two years, was carried out less than 200 miles from Iran, where tensions have boiled over in recent months following the US strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq earlier this year. The area where al-Hamra base lies is also home to vast oil reserves and a nuclear power plant.
Israel permitted the drill despite the country-wide quarantine because it involved no physical ground contact.
Why it matters: The UAE exercise, which takes place every two years, was carried out less than 200 miles from Iran, where tensions have boiled over in recent months following the US strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq earlier this year. The area where al-Hamra base lies is also home to vast oil reserves and a nuclear power plant.
For its part, the Israel Defense Forces said they characterized the aerial drill with the United States as part of its general training schedule, rather than a response to any particular threat.
What’s next: While the UAE exercise concluded Monday, the aerial drill with Israel is scheduled to last through Thursday.
Know more: While the coronavirus outbreak did not deter the United States from conducting its previously scheduled military drills, the pandemic has forced “temporary adjustments” in the mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Notably, the United States has pulled out troops from Iraq who had previously been training Iraqi security forces, as Bryant Harris reported on Monday.”
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Additional source:
3/25/20, “US and UAE joint military exercises,” Voltaire Network
[Map] “Despite the coronavirus pandemic, UAE soldiers and 4,000 US troops joined up to carry out an exercise on 21 and 22 March on a military base in the UAE.
The al-Hamra training camp (“red camp”) was especially built in 2015 for $78 million, in anticipation for an attack against Iran. It comprises a replica of a small town with an airport and control tower, a mosque and a small oil refinery. Henceforth, preparations will be underway for an attack on Saudi Arabia.
The “Little Sparta”, to use the expression of former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis when referring to the UAE, is currently fighting in southern Yemen, backed by British forces and under the orders of staff from the US General Command.
Unlike the Saudi troops, which largely consist of mercenaries, the armies of the Emirates are mainly made up of Emirati nationals.
This small state is destined to become the “policeman of the Greater Middle East” (including the Horn of Africa) within the framework of the extended NATO-MO theater of operations, according to the expression used by President Donald Trump.”
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