Explore the unlikely story of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s national military service program. Gain a new window into the UAE’s strategic thinking amid the rise of a new nationalism in the Gulf and Gulf Arab societies’ efforts to prepare for a post-oil future. Learn more about what it tells us about the evolving relations between militaries and societies more broadly. What is the UAE trying to gain? What are the intended and unintended consequences likely to be? And why should we care?