Nicknamed “Little Sparta”

Nicknamed “Little Sparta” by former US Defense Secretary James Mattis, Sunni-dominated UAE is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and faces Shia Muslim Iran across the Strait of Hormuz. Government-owned EDGE specializes in drones, long range missiles, cyber defense, and electronic warfare. It has 12,500 employees and $5 billion in annual revenues. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ranks EDGE 22nd in its list of world’s largest arms companies. SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman writes: “EDGE is a good illustration of how the combination of high national demand for military products and services with a desire to become less dependent on foreign suppliers is driving the growth of arms companies in the Middle East.”