The United Arab Emirates has hired Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, to build an army of mercenaries to help protect the country. According to the New York Times, the UAE secretly signed a $529 million contract with Prince’s new company, Reflex Responses, to put together an 800-member battalion of foreign troops. Documents show the force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks, and put down internal revolts. Such troops could be deployed if the UAE were challenged by pro-democracy protests like those sweeping the Arab world this year. The UAE is a close ally with the United States, and it appears Prince has received some support from the Obama administration to build the private army. Legal experts, though, said some of those involved with the battalion might be breaking federal laws that prohibit U.S. citizens from training foreign troops if they did not secure a license from the U.S. Department of State. The force is reportedly made up of Colombians, South Africans and other foreign troops. Prince reportedly has a strict rule against hiring any Muslims because he is worried they could not be counted on to kill fellow Muslims.