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| Arabia |
| UAE’s battle-hardened military expands into Africa, Mideast |
| 2017-04-30 |
| [IsraelTimes] Small country, which US Defense Secretary Mattis calls ’Little Sparta,’ increasingly wiling to flex its own muscle amid suspicions about Iran. The United Arab Emirates is better known for its skyscrapers and pampered luxuries, but its small size belies a quiet expansion of its battle-hardened military into Africa and elsewhere in the Middle East. The seven-state federation ranks as one of Washington’s most prominent Arab allies in the fight against the Islamic State |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #4 As the US guides the expansion of their powerbase, UAE is nicely positioned to provide a regional (SA) umbrella of medium range (1000-1500 mi) IRBMs. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-04-30 11:27 |
| #3 As far as friends of Israel are concerned, General Mattis’s clear-eyed recognition of the seriousness of the threat from Iran should serve as a source of encouragement far outweighing any concerns about an isolated statement he made three years ago when the strategic view of the Middle East was far different than it is today. Translation: what can't be cured must be endured, or - in Hebrew - ein brera. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-04-30 08:49 |
| #2 Mattis has said a lot of things. I don't think he said 'battle hardened military', though. And, there's this closing line in that article: As far as friends of Israel are concerned, General Mattis’s clear-eyed recognition of the seriousness of the threat from Iran should serve as a source of encouragement far outweighing any concerns about an isolated statement he made three years ago when the strategic view of the Middle East was far different than it is today. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2017-04-30 08:41 |
| #1 battle-hardened military??????????? little Sparta we know Mattis is an Arabophill, but this is a bit too much. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-04-30 00:49 |