As a young man, in January 1968, Mohammed was present when his father Rashid and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan first met in the desert between Dubai and Abu Dhabi at Argoub El Sedira[32] to agree to the formation of a union of emirates following British notification of intent to withdraw from the Trucial States. When the new nation of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, he became its first Minister of Defence at the age of 22.[33][31]
A period of uncertainty and instability followed the Union of the United Arab Emirates, including skirmishes between tribes over property, straddling new borders. On 24 January 1972, the exiled former ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, led an insurrectionist coup against the ruler, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.[34] Following a spirited firefight between the Union Defence Force and Saqr's forces - mostly Egyptian mercenaries who had entered the UAE through Ras Al Khaimah[32] – Sheikh Mohammed accepted Saqr's surrender.[34] Sheikh Khalid had been killed in the action, leading to the accession of his brother Sultan as ruler of Sharjah. Mohammed delivered Saqr to Sheikh Zayed, who put him under house arrest in Al Ain.[35]
In 1973, Sheikh Mohammed was involved in protracted negotiations with the hijackers of JAL 404, led by Japanese Red Army member Osamu Maruouka, which landed in Dubai after being hijacked as it departed Schiphol. Although unsuccessful in obtaining the release of the hostages (they were finally freed, and the 747 blown up, in Libya), he was more successful in a later negotiation with the three hijackers of KLM 861, who released the balance of their hostages and handed over the plane in return for safe passage.[36] In 1977, Mohammed oversaw the integration of Dubai's military forces with those of the other emirates.[31]