The United Arab Emirates Army is the land force branch of the
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
History
From January 1993 to April 1994, UAE Armed Forces participated in humanitarian operations in Somalia under the
United Task Force (UNITAF) and
UN Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II). UAE land forces supplied a 640-man group in four rotations during this period.
UAE and its Land Forces participated in the
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
-led
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...
(ISAF) mission (2001-2014) and committed to contribute to the follow-on mission of ISAF; the
Operation Resolute Support.
During the 2015
Yemeni Civil War the United Arab Emirates Army (together with other GCC soldiers) intervened in support of fighters loyal to the ousted regime of
Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi ( ar, عبدربه منصور هادي, translit=ʿAbd Rabbih Manṣūr Hādī Yemeni pronunciation: ; born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former field marshal of the Yemeni Armed Forces who served as the pres ...
against
Houthi
The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
militants. UAE troops assisted anti-Houthi fighters in the re-taking of
Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 peopl ...
and
Al Anad Air Base. On 4 September 2015 the army lost 52 soldiers in war in Yemen to a tactical ballistic missile strike. UAE has since deployed an entire
armoured brigade to Yemen. Up until November 2017 the UAE forces have had 120 dead. On 3 May 2018, UAE
deployed over 100 troops, artillery and armoured vehicles to the Yemeni archipelago of
Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen ...
in
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...
without prior coordination with the Government of Yemen. After landing, UAE forces expelled Yemeni soldiers stationed at some installations, including
Socotra Airport and the
flag of United Arab Emirates was raised above some government buildings in
Hadibu.
Equipment
Structure
There are 8 brigades and 1 battalion within the Union land forces of the UAE:
* Royal Guard Brigade
* 2 Armored Brigades
* 3 Mechanized Infantry Brigades
* 2 Infantry Brigade
* Artillery Battalion (3 Regiments)
Two additional Mechanized Infantry Brigades are stationed in Dubai but are not included in the Union force structure.
Further reading
The Evolution of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emiratesby Athol Yates
References
External links
The Evolution of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emiratesby Athol Yates
Ministry of Defence Web Site Arabic and EnglishOfficial government.ae page
*
{{Military of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...