U.S. and U.A.E. Executives Discuss How to Accelerate Defense Industry Cooperation 
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From left to right: President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Danny Sebright, Director General for Industry Development at the Tawazun Council Matar Al Romaithi, and Chairwoman of AmCham Abu Dhabi Lina Lampkin.

“There was a decision made to support industry, we are keen to interact and provide proactive solutions.” – Matar Al Romaithi, Director General for Industry Development at the Tawazun Council

On the sidelines of the 2025 Dubai Airshow, the U.S.–U.A.E. Business Council and AmCham Abu Dhabi convened a focused group of senior U.S. government delegates, along with U.A.E. and U.S. CEOs and C-level executives from leading defense and aerospace companies.The  discussion focused on strengthening defense cooperation in light of the recently signed Letter of Intent to establish a Major Defense Partnership and the newly launched Tawazun Council strategic plan.

Key takeaways include:

  • Matar Al Romaithi shared the Tawazun Council’s newstrategic foresight plan, which prioritizes developing advanced sovereign defense capabilities, promoting the U.A.E. as a global defense hub, accelerating research and development, attracting foreign direct investments in the U.A.E., and driving the growth of SMEs. 
     
  • He added that Tawazun Council is launching the concept of a “free zone for the defense industry” and that they will be looking at opportunities beyond offset obligations. 
     
  • Col. Matthew Ballanco, Chief of the Office of Defense Partnership, U.S. Embassy – Abu Dhabi, said that progress continues towards formalizing a Major Defense Partnership agreement between the U.S. and U.A.E. which is an umbrella for other partnership agreements that will enhance military-to-military cooperation, joint capability development, and long-term defense alignment. 
     
  • Hiro Rodriguez,Executive Director, Advocacy Center, U.S. Department of Commerce, said that of the 91 contract wins with foreign government buyers in 2025, totaling $170 billion, $150 billion has been in the aerospace and defense vertical and more than 50% came from President Trump’s visit to the Middle East in May 2025.
     
  • He emphasized that the U.A.E. is a priority country for the U.S. and that this administration sees a lot of opportunities, that “commercial diplomacy is a key driver of the foreign policy posture of this administration” and outlined the priorities of this administration, including unlocking supply chains and supporting defense advocacy. 

Hiro Rodriguez and Alex Kurtz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, U.S. Department of Commerce,outlined the tools at the disposal of U.S. companies, such as the Investment Accelerator, Defense Advocacy Working Group, and the STAT program. 

Participants of the AmCham Abu Dhabi and U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council  Dubai Airshow Day 2 Joint Exclusive CEO Breakfast pictured.

Speakers included:

  • Matar Al Romaithi, Director General for the Industry Development Directorate at Tawazun 
  • Hiro Rodriguez, Executive Director, Advocacy Center, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Alex Kurtz, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing, U.S. Department of Commerce 
  • Col. Matthew Ballanco,Chief of the Office of Defense Partnership, U.S. Embassy – Abu Dhabi
  • Tanya Cole, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy – Abu Dhabi
  • Chairwoman of AmCham Abu Dhabi Lina Lampkin and U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President Danny Sebright co-hosted the event, and Co-Chair of AmCham Abu Dhabi’s Defense, Aerospace & Security Committee Sharief Fahmy moderated the panel discussion. 

For more information about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s defense programming, please contact Faria Nasruddin at fnasruddin@usuaebusiness.org and read “An Enduring Partnership: The U.S.-U.A.E. Defense and Security Relationship.”