The Saudi and Emirate militaries began a joint training exercise today.
The Royal Saudi Land Forces arrived in Abu Dhabi for the drill dubbed “One Destiny” with the United Arab Emirates Land Forces. The exercise will last for three weeks and focuses on defense cooperation and exchanging expertise, the official Emirates News Agency reported.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are Gull Cooperation Council allies and are aligned on several regional issues. Both countries withdrew their diplomats from Lebanon late last month after a Lebanese minister criticized the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. Saudi Arabia supports the Yemeni government in its war against the Houthi rebels. The UAE backs the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, which is nominally aligned with the government. The two Gulf states are also opposed to Iran’s nuclear program and support for proxy groups in the region. Saudi Arabia and the UAE likewise both reestablished relations with Qatar in January to end the Gulf diplomatic crisis.
The Saudi and Emirati militaries conduct joint training exercises with other countries’ armed forces as well. The Royal Saudi Land Forces participated in a drill with Greek special forces in September. An Emirati air force commander also observed an Israeli air drill last month.
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