The UAE Presidential Guard (UAE-PG) () is an elite

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

unit 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 ...

. It is a military unit that operates outside the conventional framework of traditional armed forces. Its estimated 12,000 personnel are considered to be a premier fighting unit in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. Its duties include protecting the Ra'is albeit they are not limited by that role.

History

UAE-PG was formed in 2011 as a merger of the Amiri Guard, the Special Operations Command, and the Marine Battalion from the

UAE Navy The United Arab Emirates Navy (UAEN) is the Navy, naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats. Although primarily c ...

. In a traditional tribal society, a paramount sheikh would be protected by his armed retainers. These retainers come from tribes which had demonstrated long-term loyalty to the ruler. With the formation of professional armed forces, these armed retainers became the Emiri Guard. In 2011, the Emiri Guard command of the

UAE Armed Forces The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces () are the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates. They consist of the UAE Army, UAE Navy, UAE Air Force, UAE Presidential Guard, UAE Joint Aviation Command, and the UAE National Guard. They were ni ...

was integrated into the new Presidential Guard Command. Multiple foreign officers, including Major General Mike Hindmarsh from the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

have served and/or are serving in the guard. In the case of Hindmarsh, he serves as the guard's commander. In October 2011,

United States State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

approved of training support being provided by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

for the guard under the Marine Corps Training Mission UAE (MCTM-UAE). At around the same time, the USMC officially designated the UAE-PG as its Marine counterpart. In January 2017, a 149-member contingent from the Presidential Guard, as well as 35-member band, marched in the presence of Sheikh

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his edu ...

and Indian President

Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...

on the

Rajpath Rajpath (), officially named Kartavya Path (), and formerly known as Kingsway, is a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi, India, that runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, National War Memorial to N ...

during the

Delhi Republic Day parade The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day (India), Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Rajpath, Kartavya Path, New Delhi. It is the ...

of 2017. In 2019, the UAE-PG has inaugurated the opening of Martyr's Park, dedicated to UAE-PG personnel who were killed in the line of duty.

Deployments

Afghanistan

The UAE-PG participated in the War in Afghanistan in support to the coalition efforts against the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

. Their role has mostly been active in the delivery of

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and Humanitarian Logistics, logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homelessness, homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. Th ...

as well as supporting the development of basic community infrastructure in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

2015 Yemeni Civil War

The Presidential Guard has played a role in the Yemeni Civil War in the support of the government of President

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former military officer who served as the second president of Yemen from 2012 until his resignation in 2022. He previously served as the second vice president of Yemen fro ...

Organization

The UAE PG has the UAE Special Operations Command under its control. It also has the Special Mission Unit.

Headquarters

The guard headquarters is located in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The building consists of a basement, a ground floor and three upper levels. It has an area of about 31,000 square meters.

Training

Training of UAE-PG personnel is provided under the USMC's UAE Marine Corps Training Mission - United Arab Emirates (UAE MCTM - UAE) unit.