The military history of the United Arab Emirates describes the military history of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Prior to the union of the emirates, different tribal confederations formed the de facto military force which was dominant in the area now known as the United Arab Emirates. The Bani Yas and Al Qawasim were the most significant of those tribal confederations. The official formation of the military began with the formation of the Truical Oman Levies by the British Empire on 11 May 1951 as the area was under a British protectorate.
The Trucial Oman Levies, later renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts, were for a long time the symbol of public order in eastern Arabia and was commanded by British officers. The force was turned over to the United Arab Emirates as its defense forces when the British residency in the Persian gulf ended and the United Arab Emirates formed in 1971. Prior to the unification of the armed forces, each emirate of the United Arab Emirates was responsible for its own defence. Three major defence forces were formed: the Abu Dhabi Defence Force, Dubai Defence Force, and Ras Al Khaimah Mobile Force. The three later united to form the Federal Defence Force on 6 May 1976 and hence, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
The UAE's armed forces have engaged in numerous conflicts and war zones since their inception. The UAE Armed Forces were deployed in the Gulf War, Kosovo War, United Nations Operation in Somalia II, War in Afghanistan, enforcing UNSC Resolution 1973 in the 2011 Libyan Civil War, 2014 military intervention against ISIS in Syria, and the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.
Bani Yas and Qawasim
Prior to the union of the emirates, different tribal confederations formed the de facto military force which was dominant in the area now known as the United Arab Emirates. The Bani Yas and Al Qawasim were the most significant of those tribal confederations. The Al Qawasim were a major maritime force in the region, which prompted the British Royal Navy to organize several campaigns, such as Persian Gulf campaign of 1809 and Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 and the deployment of ground forces in Ras Al Khaimah to control the trade routes the Al Qawasim dominated. With the signing of the 1820 General Maritime Treaty between the British and the tribal sheikhs and the commencement of the British Residency of the Persian Gulf, the British Empire with the assistance of Sheikh Khalid III bin Muhammad al-Qasimi endeavored to form a unified paramilitary force based in Sharjah to suppress the slave trade and prevent tribal conflicts. The paramilitary force was named the Trucial Oman Levies.
Trucial Oman Scouts
The current United Arab Emirates military was formed from the historical Trucial Oman Levies which was established on 11 May 1951. The Trucial Oman Levies, which were renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts in 1956, were a locally raised, British commanded force long considered a symbol of public order in Eastern Arabia.
The duties of the TOL as of 1951 were to (1) maintain peace and good order on the Trucial States; (2) prevent or suppress any traffic of slaves (but not slavery itself as this was considered an 'internal affair' by the British); and (3) provide an escort for any British political representative traveling in the Trucial States. Their duties were later expanded to include helping maintain law and order and preventing internal tribal conflicts from interfering with the work of oil companies seeking to explore for oil under concessions agreed with the Rulers. The Rulers of the Trucial States were not consulted regarding the formation or establishment of the force and only the Ruler of Sharjah, who rented out the base to be used by the Levies on a 10-year lease, was informed of their establishment.
The Trucial Oman Scouts were turned over to the United Arab Emirates as the nucleus of its defense forces in 1971 with the formation of the UAE and were absorbed into the newly formed united military called the Union Defence Force (UDF). The Union Defence Force was established officially as the military of the United Arab Emirates on 27 December 1971 from a directive issued by the UAE's founding father and first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.