The United Arab Emirates Army (UAEA) is the land force branch of the

United Arab Emirates Armed Forces The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces () are the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates. They consist of the United Arab Emirates Army, UAE Army, United Arab Emirates Navy, UAE Navy, United Arab Emirates Air Force, UAE Air Force, United Arab E ...

.The UAE Armed Forces were officially formed in 1976, unifying the military forces of the individual emirates under a single command.

History

From January 1993 to April 1994, UAE Armed Forces participated in humanitarian operations in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

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 ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

-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 ac ...

(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 against Houthi militants. UAE troops assisted anti-Houthi fighters in the re-taking of

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

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, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. Situated between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, it lies near major shipping routes. Socotra is the largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago as ...

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

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

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces are well-equipped with modern and advanced military hardware, sourced from various countries, primarily the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. The equipment covers a wide range of military platforms, including aircraft, naval vessels, armored vehicles, and sophisticated weaponry.

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 Brigades * Artillery Brigade (3 Regiments) Two additional Mechanized Infantry Brigades are stationed in Dubai but are not included in the Union force structure.

References

External links

The Evolution of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates
by Athol Yates
Ministry of Defence Web Site Arabic and EnglishOfficial government.ae page
* {{United Arab Emirates topics

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...