UAE-organised six-nation military exercises to conclude
The ‘Desert Flag 2021’ military drills hosted by the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will wrap up today. The drills were being held with the participation of the air forces of Bahrain, France, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the UAE and the US.
While joint exercises between Arab states and their Western counterparts are common, today’s inclusion of contingents from India and South Korea showcases the growing stake that East and South Asian economies have in the Middle East.
Expect more multilateral drills like Desert Flag 2021 in the short- to medium-term. As countries continue to rely heavily on the Arab states for their oil supplies, expect countries like India and South Korea to increase their security footprint in the Middle East—assuring energy security and safety along sea routes will continue to be the main driving factor. In the long-term, expect to see an ongoing trend of increasing Asian security interest and footprint in the region amid growing concerns in Asian capitals about an eroding US security presence in the region, highlighted even further by the fact that January 2021 marked the first time since 1985 that the US did not import oil from Riyadh.
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