General James Mattis

As a former US CENTCOM commander, US secretary of defense and a retired US Marine Corps four-star general, James Mattis has spent much of his career working closely with US allies and partners to make the world more secure. But, he’ll tell you there are few friends whom he values more than the United Arab Emirates.

Recounting his first visit to the UAE as a young Marine officer in 1979, and reflecting on the UAE’s deepening military relationship with the US over the last 50 years, General Mattis describes his decades-long experience working alongside the UAE armed forces and government leaders.

Hear General Mattis recount an operation where this training and cooperation may have helped save lives on the battlefield, and his hopes for the next fifty years of UAE-US friendship.