Top Pentagon official to visit UAE and region to boost global security

Dr Colin Kahl will visit Israel, Bahrain and the Emirates, aiming to strengthen 'security, prosperity, and the rules-based international order'

Colin Kahl, US under secretary of defence for policy, began a trip on Tuesday that will include visits to Israel, Bahrain and the UAE. Getty Images

A top Pentagon official is visiting the UAE and other countries in the region this week to underline the importance of Washington working closely with its allies and partners to strengthen global security, the US Department of Defence said on Tuesday.

Dr Colin Kahl, the US under secretary of defence for policy, will also reinforce the need for allies to work together to maintain prosperity in the region.

The defence official arrived in Israel on Tuesday where he will lead the Defence Policy Advisory Group to discuss the two countries' shared interests.

He will also meet senior Israeli defence officials and “visit some of Israel’s most innovative defence technology companies to see demonstrations of cutting-edge emerging and critical capabilities”, Pentagon spokesman Lt Col David Herndon said.

In the UAE, Dr Kahl will lead the US delegation at the Joint Military Dialogue focusing on bilateral relationships and security in the region.

“The JMD is the foremost bilateral defence forum for advancing the US-UAE defence partnership, including shared security interests and a wide range of objectives for the relationship,” Col Herndon said.

His visit to the UAE comes after the two nations signed a strategic partnership to invest $100 billion in clean energy projects by 2035.

Dr Kahl will also deliver remarks in Bahrain that will focus on advancing common security objectives at the Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue.

He is scheduled to visit the Task Force 59 and the headquarters of US Naval Forces Central Command, which operates a naval partnership to promote security in international waters.