Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, in coordination with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), organized and led a May 11-20, 2012 study visit to the United Arab Emirates for the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland. The Academy’s delegation was comprised of twelve Midshipmen and two faculty members. The visit provided the Midshipmen an opportunity to explore the dynamics of some of the major economic, political, and social determinants of UAE culture as well as the country’s modernization and development.

Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy visit the UAE’s Critical National Infrastructural Authority during a study visit sponsored by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.

Escorted by National Council Board Member Elizabeth Wossen and Executive Vice President Patrick Mancino the participants visited the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Delegation members met with and were briefed by officials at the UAE Joint Command and Staff College; the UAE Naval Forces and Coast Guard Schools; the Abu Dhabi Media Company; the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC); Lockheed Martin; the Critical National Infrastructural Authority; Masdar (a pioneering “green” energy) City; Jebel Ali Port, the one shore facility frequented annually by U.S. Naval personnel more than any other outside the United States; the UAE National Crisis and Disasters Management Authority; and other sites and institutions. They also participated in four academic workshops at ECSSR, met with officials from the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs’ Center for Documentation and Research, and were briefed by U.S. Ambassador to the UAE Michael Corbin and embassy staff. In addition, the Midshipmen were introduced to a maritime variant of UAE traditional culture while navigating the vibrant waterfront commerce of the Emirate of Dubai on a dhow, a traditional Arab wooden sailing vessel, and exploring the pre-oil era traditions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in its heritage village exhibitions, together with the ECSSR seminar and other educational activities.

The National Council’s delegation from the U.S. Naval Academy visits the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Council’s U.S. Naval Academy delegation visits the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs’ National Center for Documentation and Research in Abu Dhabi, long recognized internationally as one of the foremost centers of its kind in the Arab and Islamic worlds.