The U.A.E.’s rulers, viewing their own military as inadequate, also hope that the troops could blunt the regional aggression of Iran, the country’s biggest foe, the former employees said. The training camp, located on a sprawling Emirati base called Zayed Military City, is hidden behind concrete walls laced with barbed wire. Photographs show rows of identical yellow temporary buildings, used for barracks and mess halls, and a motor pool, which houses Humvees and fuel trucks. The Colombians, along with South African and other foreign troops, are trained by retired American soldiers and veterans of the German and British special operations units and the French Foreign Legion, according to the former employees and American officials.

In outsourcing critical parts of their defense to mercenaries — the soldiers of choice for medieval kings, Italian Renaissance dukes and African dictators — the Emiratis have begun a new era in the boom in wartime contracting that began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. And by relying on a force largely created by Americans, they have introduced a volatile element in an already combustible region where the United States is widely viewed with suspicion.

The United Arab Emirates — an autocracy with the sheen of a progressive, modern state — are closely allied with the United States, and American officials indicated that the battalion program had some support in Washington.

“The gulf countries, and the U.A.E. in particular, don’t have a lot of military experience. It would make sense if they looked outside their borders for help,” said one Obama administration official who knew of the operation. “They might want to show that they are not to be messed with.”

Still, it is not clear whether the project has the United States’ official blessing. Legal experts and government officials said some of those involved with the battalion might be breaking federal laws that prohibit American citizens from training foreign troops if they did not secure a license from the State Department.

For Mr. Prince, a 41-year-old former member of the Navy Seals, the battalion was an opportunity to turn vision into reality. At Blackwater, which had collected billions of dollars in security contracts from the United States government, he had hoped to build an army for hire that could be deployed to crisis zones in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He even had proposed that the Central Intelligence Agency use his company for special operations missions around the globe, but to no avail. In Abu Dhabi, which he praised in an Emirati newspaper interview last year for its “pro-business” climate, he got another chance.

BY: MARK MAZZETTI and EMILY B. HAGER of the NEW YORK TIME

The Afghanistan war officially ended in January, and Obama had promised to wrap up military operations there. But the administration reassessed the withdrawal after requests from Ghani’s government – and the dramatic and bloody rise of the Islamic State in Iraq following a military withdrawal in 2010.

“As long as our men and women are in Afghanistan there are risks involved. It is a dangerous place,” Obama said. “It means some folks are going to be rotating in for a few months more than what they would have been.”

Military personnel are advising and training about 330,000 members of the Afghan security forces, which are growing stronger “month by month,” he said.

The additional forces this year will allow more time to prepare those soldiers and police as well as shore up logistical support, ensuring the Afghans not only have needed equipment but are using it properly, Obama said.

On Monday, the administration announced it will also request new funding from Congress to pump up Afghan end strength to 352,000, yet the president has not provided a dollar figure for the initiative.

The administration’s goal is to create a security force that can defeat the Taliban and maintain the new unity government. But Taliban attacks continue – now mostly on Afghan forces – and attempts at a negotiated peace settlement have not panned out.

Over the past year, the administration has also faced the bloody rise of the Islamic State in Iraq, which occured after the full withdrawal of U.S. military forces in 2011. Republicans in Congress hammered Obama for what they deemed a premature withdrawal that could lead to a similar collapse.

Obama said the revised withdrawal timeline and renewed support is part of new chapter in Afghanistan relations after the country’s contentious but successful democratic election last year. After results were disputed, Ghani agreed to a power-sharing arrangement with his opponent Abdullah Abdullah, who accompanied the new Afghan president to Washington this week for the announcement.

The administration sees Ghani as a more reliable partner than his predecessor Hamid Karzai, who had an often antagonistic relationship with Washington and the military.

During Ghani’s visit this week, he made a series of comments – including thanking American troops and taxpayers -- seemingly meant to cement his reputation as a leader capable of working closely with the U.S.

“You stood shoulder to shoulder with us and I want to say, ‘Thank you,’” Ghani said during the White House announcement with Obama.

He gave a nod to U.S. concerns about endemic government corruption and women’s rights, saying Afghanistan looks forward to a day when it will have a female president.

“This partnership with the United States has a foundation,” Ghani said.

By Travis J. Tritten of Stars and Stripes |  @Travis_Tritten