Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul highlighted the importance of the U.S.-U.A.E. defense and security relationship during a virtual private roundtable on 7 July 2021 with senior executives from select U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council members.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Stroul remarked, “When we work on regional issues, Abu Dhabi is one of the first calls we make. We seek Emirati views on key issues as it helps us craft better policy. This is an aspect of our special relationship with the U.A.E.”

Over the course of the discussion, Deputy Assistant Secretary Stroul shared insights from her April 2021 trip to the Middle East region, which involved high-level meetings in the U.A.E. She also spoke of the possibilities unlocked by the U.A.E.’s normalization of ties with Israel.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Stroul discussed the challenges posed by China and Iran in the region. Moreover, she reviewed persistent security threats by extremist groups in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.

In a question and answer session, industry attendees also had the opportunity to engage Deputy Assistant Secretary Stroul about their priorities in the U.A.E. and the Gulf region. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary Stroul, whose biography can be found here, assumed her position earlier this year. In this role, she leads the development of U.S. Department of Defense Policy and Strategy for Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

This roundtable continues the Business Council’s practice of convening meaningful discussions between U.S. industry and senior U.S. defense officials. 

For more information about the Business Council’s work in the defense sector, please see here. To read the Business Council’s latest report on the U.S.-U.A.E. defense and security relationship, please see here.

For more information about the Business Council’s slate of upcoming events, please contact the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s head of communications, Ms. Mary Zuccarello at mzuccarello@usuaebusiness.org or visit our website at www.usuaebusiness.org.