The
Military of Bahrain (well known as:
Bahrain Defence Force, or
BDF in short) comes under Bahrain's Ministry of Defence. It numbers about 9,000 personnel and consists of the
Royal Bahraini Air ForceThe Royal Bahraini Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defense Force. The air force had 650 personnel in 1992 and 1,500 in 2009.- History :...
,
Royal Bahraini ArmyRoyal Bahraini Army is the ground force component of the Bahraini Defence Force.The army's current strength is 6000 personnel and headed by Lieutenant General Khalifa bin Abdallah al-Khalifa.-Formation:...
,
Royal Bahraini NavyThe Royal Bahrain Naval Force is a branch of the military of Bahrain which is called the Bahrain Defense Force. The Commander of the Navy is Lieutenant Commander Yusuf al-Maluallah. The navy consists of 11 combat vessels, 22 patrol craft and over 700 personnel...
and the
Bahrain Royal Medical ServicesBahrain Royal Medical Services is one of the major hospitals in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the only hospital where free health care is provided exclusively for non-civilians in the country...
. Apart from the BDF, the public security forces and the coast guard report to the Ministry of the Interior. Bahrain, in conjunction with its
GCCThe Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf , also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council is a trade bloc involving the six Arab states of the Persian Gulf with many economic and social objectives.-Members:
-History:Created on May 25, 1981, the ...
partners has moved to upgrade its defenses in response to the threat posed by the Iran-Iraq and
Persian Gulf warThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
s.
The
Military of Bahrain (well known as:
Bahrain Defence Force, or
BDF in short) comes under Bahrain's Ministry of Defence. It numbers about 9,000 personnel and consists of the
Royal Bahraini Air ForceThe Royal Bahraini Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defense Force. The air force had 650 personnel in 1992 and 1,500 in 2009.- History :...
,
Royal Bahraini ArmyRoyal Bahraini Army is the ground force component of the Bahraini Defence Force.The army's current strength is 6000 personnel and headed by Lieutenant General Khalifa bin Abdallah al-Khalifa.-Formation:...
,
Royal Bahraini NavyThe Royal Bahrain Naval Force is a branch of the military of Bahrain which is called the Bahrain Defense Force. The Commander of the Navy is Lieutenant Commander Yusuf al-Maluallah. The navy consists of 11 combat vessels, 22 patrol craft and over 700 personnel...
and the
Bahrain Royal Medical ServicesBahrain Royal Medical Services is one of the major hospitals in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the only hospital where free health care is provided exclusively for non-civilians in the country...
. Apart from the BDF, the public security forces and the coast guard report to the Ministry of the Interior. Bahrain, in conjunction with its
GCCThe Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf , also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council is a trade bloc involving the six Arab states of the Persian Gulf with many economic and social objectives.-Members:
-History:Created on May 25, 1981, the ...
partners has moved to upgrade its defenses in response to the threat posed by the Iran-Iraq and
Persian Gulf warThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
s. In 1982, the GCC gave Bahrain $1.7 billion to help improve its defenses. Bahrain's defense spending since 1999 has been steady. The government spends around $320 million annually on their military. After the
Gulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
, Bahrain received additional military support from the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including the sale of 54
M60A3 tanksThe M60 Series was a main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today despite being superseded by the M1 Abrams...
, 12 F-16C/D aircraft, and 14
Cobra helicoptersThe AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
. Joint naval, air and ground exercises also have been planned and executed to increase readiness throughout the Persian Gulf. Bahrain and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in October 1991, granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises. In 2003,
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
designated Bahrain as a
major non-NATO allyMajor non-NATO ally is a designation given by the United States government to exceptionally close allies who have close strategic working relationships with American forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Since 2003, Bahrain has been granted over $100 million in Foreign Military Funding to pay for various high profile weapons systems, to include an
AN/TPS-59(v)3B Early Warining Radar, L
arge A
ircraft C
ounter-I
nfraR
ed Measures (LACIRM)
, Air-to-Air Missile Avoidance System for the King's Plane (
Boeing 747-400The Boeing 747-400 is a widebody commercial airliner, and is the most recent version of the Boeing 747 aircraft in service. The -400 series is the highest selling model in the 747 family...
), as well as an
Avenger Air Defense VehicleThe Avenger Air Defense System, designated AN/TWQ-1 under the Joint Electronics Type Designation System, provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters. The Avenger was...
.
See also
- Bahrain Royal Medical Services
Bahrain Royal Medical Services is one of the major hospitals in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the only hospital where free health care is provided exclusively for non-civilians in the country...
- Royal Bahraini Air Force
The Royal Bahraini Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defense Force. The air force had 650 personnel in 1992 and 1,500 in 2009.- History :...
- Royal Bahraini Navy
The Royal Bahrain Naval Force is a branch of the military of Bahrain which is called the Bahrain Defense Force. The Commander of the Navy is Lieutenant Commander Yusuf al-Maluallah. The navy consists of 11 combat vessels, 22 patrol craft and over 700 personnel...
- Royal Bahraini Army
Royal Bahraini Army is the ground force component of the Bahraini Defence Force.The army's current strength is 6000 personnel and headed by Lieutenant General Khalifa bin Abdallah al-Khalifa.-Formation:...