GM Defense says it will work with the UAE to help it develop electric defense vehicles

General Motors subsidiary, GM Defense LLC, is expanding to the Middle East.

On Tuesday, GM Defense said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Tawazun Council, which is the agency in the United Arab Emirates that supports defense and security investments. The council also promotes innovation and research and development in the defense industries there.

The MOU is the first step toward a formal partnership in which GM Defense will develop advanced mobility and power solutions for UAE’s future defense products.

“We are committed to building long-term, lasting relationships in the region and to delivering solutions featuring some of the most advanced, commercially proven technologies that offer reliability and flexibility,” Steve duMont, GM Defense president, said in a statement.

DuMont said with the MOU in place, GM Defense can help the UAE transition to using more electric and autonomous defense vehicles.

GM is investing $35 billion in electric vehicles and self-driving technology through 2025, which GM Defense can tap into for its military products, as it has done for U.S. government customers. 

GM formed GM Defense in 2017. In 2020, it won its first contract, worth $214.3 million, to build the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) for the U.S. Army. The ISV is based on the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize pickup. It is designed for rapid ground mobility and carrying a nine-soldier infantry squad through the battlefield. In September 2021, GM Defense announced it won a $36.4 million contract from the U.S. State Department to develop the next-generation large support utility commercial vehicles for the department’s Diplomatic Security Service. 

In May 2022, GM Defense announced it would start expanding its customized vehicles and other services to international military, security and government customers. Canada is one of those customers, and, at the time, GM Defense spokeswoman Sonia Taylor said the subsidiary was “having active dialogues with potential customers in Europe, Middle East and Indo-Pacific region.”

On Tuesday, Taylor said GM Defense continues to pursue business in many regions, but she did not mention the Indo-Pacific region.