Text Fwd: Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties

*Image source/ caption: same as the link below
'Kim Tae-young
Defense Minister'

Korea Times
12-28-2009 19:57
Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed ways to create a stronger defense relationship last month, officials here said Monday.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young flew to the UAE in November twice to discuss bilateral defense issues as well as to support Seoul's successful bid to win a $20 billion contract to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern nation, they said.

``Based on a Korea-UAE memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2006, Kim and his UAE counterpart discussed the details of the defense cooperation between the two nations,'' an official at Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said on condition of anonymity. ``The UAE asked South Korea to provide lots of information regarding possible defense cooperation programs.''

The official neither confirmed nor denied a report that both sides had signed an agreement on specific defense cooperation.

The UAE sought to review South Korea's battlefield training system using the Military Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), harbor protection systems, pilot training programs and others, he said.

The sides also discussed ways of providing military support to each nation in the case of an emergency, the official said.

``The UAE is a small military power at the moment but faces potential conflicts in the volatile Middle East, so it wants to learn know-how from South Korea, which maintains a large and advanced armed forces,'' a diplomatic source said.

The armed forces of the UAE, officially called the Union Defense Force, consists of 65,000 troops, and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It is the federal military force and is primarily responsible for the defense of all seven emirates.

South Korea has 650,000 troops and is supported by 28,500 U.S. forces. Korean troops are being equipped with high-tech weapons systems under the Defense Reform 2020 modernization program.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

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