Citizens in Training

The U.S. Marines made famous their search for “a few good men.” The United Arab Emirates (UAE), however, wants all its men—from the ages of 18 to 30—to experience the discipline and rigors of military life. To that end, for reasons of national security, nation-building, and societal development, the UAE has instituted a universal conscription program, a rarity in the modern world of nations. This report is the most extensive effort to date to define and to understand the UAE conscription program