(Photo credit: US Air Force/Master Sgt. Ben Mota)
During a phone call on 1 February, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reportedly told Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Abu bin Zayed Al Nahyan that the Pentagon is sending a guided-missile destroyer and fifth-generation fighter jets to the UAE in the wake of missile and drone attacks launched by the Yemeni army.
Specifically, Washington’s war chief told the crown prince to expect the arrival of the “guided-missile destroyer USS Cole to partner with the UAE Navy before making a port call in Abu Dhabi.”
According to a statement released by the Pentagon, Washington also plans to deploy US-made F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting II combat jets to “assist the UAE against the current threat and as a clear signal that the United States stands with the UAE as a long-standing strategic partner.”
The announcement comes just two days after the Yemeni army launched its latest attack deep inside the UAE, marking the third straight week that Yemeni ballistic missiles and drones have made it into the Gulf country.
Following the attack on 31 January, Washington announced they had deployed Patriot interceptors to down the Yemeni missiles.
Despite their long-standing role as part of the occupying Saudi-led coalition, the UAE has not been a major target of attacks by the Yemeni army since the 2015 invasion.
However, that all changed on 17 January when Sanaa began its airstrike campaign against the UAE. These attacks came after Emirati-backed Salafist militias were deployed to Yemen’s oil-rich Shabwah province to push back against the Yemeni army and allied Popular Committees.
The US, meanwhile, announced last year the suspension of its “offensive support” to the Saudi-led coalition. However, Washington has maintained they will continue to give military support for defensive operations to its allies in the region.
US President Joe Biden also told reporters last month that he was considering re-designating the Ansarallah resistance movement as a “foreign terrorist organization”, which rights groups say could drastically hinder aid delivery in the war-torn country.