Government and industry leaders from around the world will converge on the United Arab Emirates this week to attend the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX). Held every other year in Abu Dhabi, IDEX represents one of the world's most important defense exhibitions by showcasing the best in cutting-edge technology and strategy.

This year, however, a cloud hangs over IDEX as the defense and strategic relationship between the US and its Arabian Gulf security partners has become increasingly strained. With less than two years left on the clock, now is the time for the Obama administration to take some bold steps and revitalize key partnerships currently in drift and in doubt.

Despite close working-level partnerships with key militaries in the region — especially with that of the UAE — many gulf countries increasingly doubt the overall US commitment to security in the region, especially in light of its stance on Iran. Regional leaders question our ability to stay focused on defeating the Islamic State group and other radical movements, particularly given US flip-flops vis-à-vis Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

They also struggle with how long it takes the US to make decisions on releasing technology and equipment that they see as critical to effectively partnering in the coalition and providing for their own defense.

Better communication and dialogue between senior leadership is vital to formulating and enunciating clear and reassuring policy decisions. Moreover, leadership from the top down is essential to driving faster technology- and equipment-release decisions to better assist our partners in the coalition-led war against the Islamic State group.

The time has also come for joint research and development, as well as partnerships for joint technology development, to help address mutual shortfalls our coalition partners face in fighting the Islamic State group.

This year, the US will send its largest team ever of State Department, Defense Department and military leaders to IDEX. These US officials are likely to get an earful — not just from their gulf partners, but from US industry executives. While the US should no doubt listen, they would also be wise to come prepared to convey some key messages.

New US Defense Secretary Ash Carter should signal in his first week in the job that he intends to visit the region within his first month. Carter should also signal that he plans to redouble US efforts to give our gulf partners timely answers to their requests for military goods and services, even if the answer is no.

Like he did when he was the deputy secretary, he should appoint and drive a high-level team within DoD focused on better interagency coordination, quick congressional consultation and timely response to these requests.

Military-to-military dialogues and senior-level discussion must be bolstered both at the bilateral level and multilaterally at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). All sides must work to revitalize what have become moribund and stifled dialogues with established agendas, taskings and timelines for completion.

Finally, the US and the UAE, as well as other gulf partners, should announce their decision to add cooperative military research and development for the first time to the defense agenda within our bilateral and multilateral dialogues.

Today, our gulf partners stand ready to do more to provide for the collective defense effort in the region, but in some important areas they are stymied by the sheer weight and inertia of our bureaucracy.

To be certain, they have their own internal issues that contribute to the situation, including leadership transitions occurring or about to occur in almost every GCC country. They also have defense establishments and industries in need of reform, which is exactly why the UAE has decided to consolidate its state-owned industries into a single new company, Emirates Defense Industries Co., to be debuted at IDEX.

However, now is the time for the US to step up and do what I know from my many years of experience at DoD that we can do best: partner with friends and allies by listening to their concerns and then working together to find solutions that help promote our common goals of peace, security and prosperity in the region. This year's IDEX offers a critical opportunity to revitalize this process and to begin working more constructively with our friends in the region.

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Danny Sebright is President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and a Counselor at The Cohen Group. He worked on defense and security matters related to the Middle East under six U.S. Secretaries of Defense.

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