page_title: United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
section_title: Military Expansion
hierarchical_section_title: United Arab Emirates Armed Forces / Military Expansion
caption_attribution_description: United Arab Emirates Air Force, 1227, Boeing C-17A Globemaster III
context_page_description: The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates and have primary responsibility for the defence of all seven emirates. They consists of approximately 100,000 personnel, and are headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces were formed in 1951 as the historic Trucial Oman Scouts, a long symbol of public order in Eastern Arabia. Since their formation, the armed forces have been deployed in various military and humanitarian missions. As a result of their active and effective military role despite their small active personnel, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces are commonly nicknamed "Little Sparta" by United States Armed Forces General and former US defense secretary James Mattis.
context_section_description: In 1989, UAE purchased Scud-B ballistic missiles from North Korea.
  The UAE went on an expansion drive in 1995, which began with the 1992–93 acquisition of 436 Leclerc tanks and 415 BMP-3 armoured vehicles. It had learned from the Iranian experiences with having a single supplier for its military and has diversified its arms purchases, purchasing weaponry mainly from Russia, the United States, the UK, Ukraine, France, Italy and Germany. It has also taken care to invest in the systems it has purchased and standardise them according to NATO/GCC Specifications.
  The equipment purchases was also followed by a programme to increase manpower numbers and Emiratisation programme for the Armed forces. Presently (2005) almost all pilots in the UAE Air Force 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 programmes such as the Technical Trainee Project underway to try to 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. In 2008, the UAE bought MIM-104 Patriot missiles and related radar, support services for the Patriot systems. There has been work concurrently on the Hawk systems, the Patriots predecessor, currently in use by the UAE.
  In the last days of 2011, during a war scare with Iran over the Straits of Hormuz, the UAE announced a purchase of US$3.48 billion worth of American missile systems: 2 radar systems, 96 missiles, spare parts and training. The UAE was the first country to acquire the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD). A contract worth $1.96 billion was agreed for Lockheed Martin Corp to supply two Thaad anti-missile batteries.
  In November 2019, South Africa blocked supply of arms to United Arab Emirates, Oman, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia following a dispute in the inspection clause of its agreement. According to a report by Reuters, the UAE and the other mentioned countries refused to allow officials from South Africa to inspect their facilities. The dispute arose as the UAE and the other countries refused the inspections, stating it violated their sovereignty. According to the industry, the inspection row puts business at risk and could cause the loss of up to 9,000 jobs at defense firms and supporting industries in South Africa. UAE began firing trials with China, India, and Serbia to replace the South African RDM as preferred supplier of ammunition.
caption: UAEAF C-17A Globemaster III
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