The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) is the military force of the
Kingdom of Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ad ...
. The Bahrain Defence Force is under direct command and leadership of a commander-in-chief who holds the rank of
field marshal. The
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
has a Minister of Defence Affairs responsible of BDF representation in the Cabinet.
It numbers about 18,000 personnel and consists of the
Royal Bahraini Air Force
The Royal Bahraini Air Force ( ar, سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني, abbreviated as RBAF, formerly known as Bahrain Amiri Air Force) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF). Originally formed as the BDF A ...
,
Royal Bahraini Army
Royal Bahraini Army is the ground force component of the Bahrain Defence Force. The army's current strength is 15,000 personnel and headed by Lieutenant General Khalifa bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa.
History
Bahraini ground troops took part in the Sa ...
,
Royal Bahraini Navy
The Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF) (previously known as Bahrain Defense Force, Naval Branch) is the maritime branch of the Bahrain Defence Force. The current Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force is Rear Admiral Mohammed Yousif al-Asam. ...
and the
Royal Guard
A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...
. Apart from the BDF, the public security forces and the Coast Guard report to the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
.
In January 2008, the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was appointed as the Deputy Supreme Commander, while Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the BDF.
BDF's Chief of Staff is Lieutenant General Theyab bin Saqer Al Noaimi.
GCC support
Bahrain, in conjunction with its Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, GCC partners has moved to upgrade its defenses in response to the threat posed by the Iran–Iraq War, Iran-Iraq and Gulf War, Persian Gulf wars.
In 1982, the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC gave Bahrain $1.7 billion to help improve its defenses. Bahrain's defense spending since 1999 has been steady. The government spends around $320 million annually on their military.
U.S. support
After the Gulf War, Bahrain received additional military support from the United States, including the sale of 54 M60 Patton, M60A3 tanks, 12 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, F-16C/D aircraft, and 14 AH-1 Cobra, Cobra helicopters. Joint naval, air and military exercises also have been planned and executed to increase readiness throughout the Persian Gulf. Bahrain and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in October 1991, granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises. In 2003, George W. Bush designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Since 2003, Bahrain has been granted over $100 million in Foreign Military Funding to pay for various high-profile weapons systems, to include an AN/TPS-59(v)3B Early Warning Radar, Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), Air-to-Air Missile Avoidance System for the King's Plane (Boeing 747-400), as well as an M1097 Avenger, Avenger Air Defense Vehicle.
Commanders-in-Chief of the BDF
See also
* National Guard (Bahrain)
* Special Security Force Command
References
External links
Official site
U.S. Department of State
{{Authority control
Bahrain Defence Force,
Military of Bahrain,