ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – A NATO delegation led by the J9 Military Partnership Branch of Allied Joint Force Command Naples conducted an Expert Staff Meeting, or ESM, with the Emirati Armed Forces in Abu Dhabi, Oct. 13, 2016.
The aim of the ESM was to showcase the various partnership opportunities available, discuss past and present military cooperation activities and to prepare future ones in accordance with Emirati Armed Forces’ requests and ambition and according to Military Committee Direction and Guidance.
French Army Col. Vincent Alexandre, J9 MPB branch head at JFC Naples, met with the deputy commander of General Head Quarter Joint Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Hamdan Al Zeyoudi. Additionally, military partnership representatives from JFC Naples, AIRCOM and LANDCOM provided multiple presentations on cooperation program activities and exercises available to UAE over the next two years. The team also looked in detail at the Operational Capability Concept from an Air Force perspective.
Swedish Maj. Lars Karlsson of AIRCOM was able to give a pertinent partner perspective on a nation going through the demanding NATO Tactical Evaluation process.
Event organizers said open and fruitful discussions were conducted throughout the meeting, and the results will help ensure that the UAE are correctly supported by JFC Naples in those areas where they wish to cooperate militarily with NATO.
Story and photo by J9 MPB