<span>A major new military hospital in Abu Dhabi will be built by the UAE and the United States to </span><span>save the lives</span><span> of Emirati and American troops, a senior US officer said. </span> <span>L</span><span>t Gen</span><span> Charles Hooper, the director of America's Defence Security Co-operation Agency, said the new facility would be based on the model of the famous Landstuhl military hospital in Germany, which was set up in the 1950s.</span> <span>Landstuhl, near Frankfurt, is the largest US military hospital outside</span><span> America</span><span> and has become known </span><span>for treating servicemen and women </span><span>injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.</span> <span>The UAE facility will include trauma, rehabilitation and burns treatment facilities, Lt Gen Hooper said.</span> <span>Discussions with the UAE, which will fund the centre, are still under way but US staff will be sent to work in the hospital.</span> <span>He said </span><span>it would be </span><span>similar</span><span> to the Landstuhl hospital, which is commanded by the military and has more than 46,000 outpatient visits </span><span>every month.</span> <span>It also serves the families of military personnel, as well as some government employees.</span> <span>"It's a very, very exciting new initiative," Lt Gen Hooper said at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference</span><span>.</span> <span>"When completed, this facility</span><span> will provide much-needed emergency medical support to </span><span>Emirati forces and </span><span>regionally</span><span> based US forces.</span> <span>"</span><span>We're very excited about it and the regional military medical centre in Landstuhl </span><span>– that's what we're comparing it to and we're very hopeful that this centre in the region will help save lives</span><span>."</span> <span>Lt Gen Hooper could not say when the new centre will open. He revealed, however, that negotiations </span><span>were under way</span><span>.</span> <span>The deal will be seen as a sign of strengthening ties between the UAE and the U</span><span>S</span><span>, </span><span>and the senior</span><span> officer, who has almost 40 years of service, also reveal</span><span>ed that the US had fast-tracked arms sales to the Emirates.</span> <strong>______________</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/uae/idex-2019-a-show-of-military-might-and-modern-warfare-1.826937">Idex 2019: Military might in pictures</a></strong> <span>"We're in the preliminary stages now of establishing the centre</span><span>," he said.</span> <span>“The discussions and the collaboration has begun. As you might imagine, this is a very complex process and we want to get it right.</span> <span>“I can tell you our discussions and collaboration have begun in earnest and we’re looking forward to opening the centre as quickly as practicable and we’re very excited about it.”</span> <span>On the issue of arms sales, Lt Gen Hopper said he was keen to ensure the U</span><span>S</span><span> remains the "provider of choice" by improving speed of process and reducing cost, including by offering more flexible payment options.</span> <span>Defence companies from across the globe, including Russian manufacturers, </span><span>hope to deal with Middle East buyers this week</span><span>.</span> <span>He also confirmed the US is moving towards making its drone technology available to its allies, but would not say whether these would be armed or unarmed versions.</span> <span>“We have reviewed and are in the process of implementing changes to our policy with respect to unmanned aerial systems,” he said.</span> <span>"We want to make many of our unmanned aerial systems available to our partners, many have been asking for some time</span><span>. We're going to move forward as quickly as possible.</span> <span>"We will still continue to vet those cases on a case-by-case basis, but we do understand it's a very competitive world out there and we want to ensure we're doing everything in our power to provide US systems</span><span> to our partners."</span>