AmCham Abu Dhabi & the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council co-hosted an exclusive roundtable dinner featuring former United States Undersecretary of Defense for Policy the Honorable Michèle Flournoy in Abu Dhabi on Monday, October 7th. Flournoy, a co-Founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), was joined by a group of senior business executives representing American and Emirati firms working in the global defense, security, and information technology sectors. The closed-door working discussion was moderated by Matt Byrd, Chairman of AmCham Abu Dhabi.

After an introduction from Byrd, Flournoy delivered off-the-record remarks focused on U.S. foreign policy towards the U.A.E., and broader Middle East; the importance of fostering increased interoperability between the U.S. and U.A.E. militaries; and her perspective on the impact of budgetary and economic issues facing the U.S. defense industry on trade and investment in the U.A.E.

“Serving in the Pentagon, and now working in the private sector, has allowed me to underscore the importance of advancing growing trade and investment ties between the two countries to support very strong U.S.-U.A.E. diplomatic, defense, and security relations,” said Flournoy.

During her formal remarks, Flournoy pointed to the U.A.E.’s stance as a key partner for the U.S. in the maintenance of regional peace and stability to emphasize the viability of increased defense, security, and IT trade and investment. In doing so, Flournoy applauded the country’s leadership on their complementary vision to develop world-class capabilities, with the support of American and international partners, and become a key global player in the commercial defense, security, and IT sectors.

“With growing industrial capabilities in the U.A.E. and budgetary issues in the U.S., I see immense potential for commercial partnership in the defense, security, and IT sectors, in particular, to support U.S.-U.A.E. joint efforts to maintain energy and trade route security in the Arabian Gulf, and broader Middle East North Africa (MENA) region,” Flournoy added.

Following the formal program, Byrd opened the floor to executives and facilitated a discussion on issues impacting U.S.-U.A.E. commercial defense and security trade, including intellectual property; cybersecurity; technology transfer; offsets policy; the impact of Sequestration in the U.S. on American business abroad; and regional U.S. defense policy surrounding American military stature in the U.A.E., and broader MENA region.

Byrd concluded the dinner by thanking Flournoy for her substantive insights and the audience for their contribution to the working discussion.

“AmCham Abu Dhabi is delighted to have had the unique opportunity to visit with such a distinguished visitor as the Honorable Michele Flournoy,” said Byrd. “Our members, and those of our co-hosts the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, benefit greatly from having such opportunities to discuss important issues with thought leaders working at the intersection of business and government.”

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About AmCham Abu Dhabi:

AmCham Abu Dhabi (the trademark of the American Business Group of Abu Dhabi) is a member of the global network of American Chambers of Commerce. The AmCham Abu Dhabi mission is to promote commerce, investment and goodwill between the United States of America, the membership, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. AmCham Abu Dhabi is an independent, not-for-profit association comprised of Fortune 500 corporations, small and medium sized companies and prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs. AmCham Abu Dhabi provides a uniquely situated platform through which executives pursue and discuss issues impacting business operation between the U.S. and U.A.E. Substantive government advocacy programs, educational and networking programs and customized business service are just a few of the many benefits AmCham Abu Dhabi provides to its members. Through the support of its members, AmCham Abu Dhabi has become the recognized voice of U.S. business in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. www.amchamabudhabi.org

About U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council:

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is a progressive business advocacy organization solely committed to the advancement of the trade and commercial relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council provides its diverse membership unparalleled access to senior decision makers in business and government in the U.A.E. and in the U.S. The Business Council actively works to ensure that the U.S. and U.A.E. remain attractive destinations for foreign direct investment by conducting effective policy advocacy, undertaking various trade promotion initiatives, providing ongoing updates on the business climate in both countries, and helping develop strategic relationships between U.S. and U.A.E. business and government officials. www.usuaebusiness.org.