he Trucial Oman Scouts, long the symbol of public order on the coast and commanded by British officers, were turned over to the United Arab Emirates as its defense forces in 1971. The UAE armed forces, consisting of 65,000 troops, are headquartered in Abu Dhabi and are primarily responsible for the defense of the seven emirates.

The UAE military relies heavily on troop force from other Arab countries and Pakistan. The officer corps, however, is composed almost exclusively of UAE nationals.

The UAE air force has about 3,500 personnel. The air force agreed in 1999 to purchase 80 advanced U.S. F-16 multirole fighter aircraft. Other equipment includes the Mirage 2000s, British Hawk aircraft, and French helicopters. The air defense has a Hawk missile program for which the United States is providing training. The UAE has taken delivery of two of five Triad I-Hawk batteries. The UAE navy is growing, with more than 2,000 personnel and 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and 8 missile crafts.

The UAE sent forces to assist Kuwait during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. It dispatched an Infantry Battalion to the UN force in Somalia in 1993, It sent the 35th Mechanized Infantry Battalion to Kosovo, and sent a regiment to Kuwait during the Iraq War. In addition, it continues to contribute to the continued security and stability of the Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz. It is a leading partner in the campaign against terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and financial arenas. The UAE military provides humanitarian assistance to Iraq.

Following the conduct of regional and International wars closely, the UAE went on an Expansion drive in 1995, which began with the 1992/1993 acquisition of 436 Leclerc Tanks and 415 BMP-3 Armored Vehicles. It had learned from the Iranian experiences with having a single supplier for its military and has diversified its arms purchases, purchasing weaponry from Russia, the US, the UK, Ukraine and Germany. It has also taken care to invest in the systems it has purchased and standardize them according to NATO/GCC Specifications.

The equipment expansion was also followed by a Quantitative Manpower Expansion and Emiratisation program for the Armed forces. Presently (2005) almost all pilots in the UAE Airforce are UAE Nationals, with the restriction of non-nationals to certain positions in the instruction and maintenance divisions of the airforce. More nationals are being trained to fill these ranks, with programs such as the Technical Trainee Project underway to try and fill the technical jobs in the country.

There has also been a Qualitative shift in the Personnel in the Armed services, with expert instruction being brought in from around the world, refinement of local military training institutions and the increase in standards across the armed forces.

The UAE has begun to produce a greater amount of military equipment in a bid to reduce foreign dependence and help with national Industrialisation. The Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding company - ADSB (www.adsb.ae) produce a range of ships and are a prime contractor in the Baynunah Program, a program to design develop and produce 5-6 corvettes customized for operation in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. It has also produced and is producing ammunition, military transport vehicles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Small Arms.

• Army
• Navy
  • Marines
  • Coast Guard
• Air Force
• Air Defence Force
• Various paramilitary forces
  • Federal Police Force

Military manpower

• 2000: 785,253
• 2004: 752,707

• 2000: 422,826
• 2004: 412,490 (estimate)

• 2000: 24,506 (estimate)
• 2004: 29,183

Military expenditures

• 1999: $2,100,000,000 (4.8% of Gross Domestic Product)
• 2000: $1,600,000,000 (3.1% of Gross Domestic Product)

References and links

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2003 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
• United Arab Emirates