The Future of Gulf Defense: What Roles for Ukraine and Israel?

On June 18, 2026, TRENDS US hosted its sixth strategy session titled “The Future of Gulf Defense: What Roles for Ukraine and Israel?” The discussion underscored the increasing roles of Ukraine and Israel in Gulf security – in particular, sharing expertise in counter-drone systems and other military capabilities to more effectively confront threats from Iran and Iranian-backed groups.

The panel featured Jack DeSantis, founder & CEO of OMIRA Systems, and an engineer and former foreign volunteer, drone Pilot and battalion-level advisor on drone and electronic warfare in Ukraine; and Assaf Orion, Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a retired Israeli brigadier general and defense strategist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The conversation was moderated by Bilal Y. Saab, Senior Managing Director of TRENDS US.

Key Insights and Recommendations 

• Ukraine’s role in Gulf defense is still limited but strategically important, centered on counter-UAS expertise and battlefield-tested drone-defense lessons.
• Before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Gulf tour during Operation Epic Fury, Ukrainian specialists from the Nemesis group were already advising Gulf militaries and briefing them on counter-drone capabilities.
• At Prince Sultan Air Base, Ukrainians demonstrated Sky Map, a platform that integrates sensors, radars, and air-defense systems into a common operational picture for Saudi and U.S. personnel.
• Kyiv has been careful to avoid any appearance of direct military participation in the war against Iran, framing its engagement as defense-industrial cooperation rather than operational involvement.
• No Ukrainian systems are known to have been deployed in the Gulf; negotiations continue, but the relationship remains exploratory and unproven.
• Israel’s role in Gulf defense is more developed but often less visible, operating largely through the U.S.-led CENTCOM security network.
• Israel benefits from regional strategic depth, while Gulf states benefit from Israeli intelligence, early warning, air-defense experience, cyber capabilities, and home-front defense lessons.
• Reported Israeli contributions, including Iron Dome deployments and possibly more advanced systems, suggest real operational cooperation beyond what is publicly acknowledged.
• The core value of both Ukraine and Israel lies not simply in technology, but in battlefield learning, adaptation, doctrine, training, and operational culture.
• Gulf states face a major challenge in absorbing these lessons because Ukrainian and Israeli systems are embedded in broader ecosystems, not stand-alone products that can be bought off a shelf.
• Ukraine’s counter-UAS ecosystem combines sensors, radars, acoustic detection, thermal and visual cameras, software fusion tools, electronic warfare, mobile firing units, and trained operators.
• Gulf cooperation with Ukraine and Israel carries political costs: Ukraine must avoid antagonizing Russia or Iran, while Israel’s involvement raises reputational, diplomatic, and public-opinion sensitivities.
• Successful cooperation will require patience, trust, discretion, gradual confidence-building, and a willingness to adapt foreign lessons to Gulf military cultures and operational requirements.
• CENTCOM remains indispensable as a facilitator, integrator, and convening platform that can help connect Gulf partners with Ukrainian, Israeli, and broader allied expertise.
• The larger strategic lesson is that Gulf defense must become part of a wider learning network capable of adapting faster than the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea axis of military innovation.