New Arab military force to reckon with as 'Little Sparta' rises

Four armored vehicles rumble out of a stadium tunnel and into a facsimile of a seemingly deserted dusty town, surrounding the location of a “hostile militia” near an abandoned gas station.

Explosions erupt in the mountaintop above, and smoke engulfs the area as troops jump out of the vehicles and trade fire with the unseen “militants.” American-made F-16s roar overhead, and French-made Leclerc tanks arrive on the scene.

Suddenly, dozens of drones blot out the sky above the outdoor stadium, and the tanks, jets, and soldiers fire in a symphony of explosions, gunfire, and screeching tires – all set to the adrenaline-filled Hans Zimmer score from “The Dark Knight,” blaring from speakers.

There was one clear message at the opening ceremony at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, or IDEX, the Middle East’s largest military expo, held in February in Abu Dhabi. By land, by air, by sea – you name it, the UAE can do it.

But for a country with a population of 1 million citizens, the

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