Military of Qatar
| Qatar Armed Forces |
|
|---|---|
Emblem of Qatar
|
|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Doha |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Minister of State for Defence Affairs | Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah |
| Chief of General Staff | Lieutenant General Ghanem bin Shaheen Al-Ghanem |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Available for military service |
389,487 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 165,572 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
321,974 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 140,176 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually |
6,429 males (2010 est.), 5,162 females (2010 est.) |
| Active personnel |
11,800 total personnel
|
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$1.913 billion (2010) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.5% (2010) |
| Related articles | |
| History |
Gulf War Libyan Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen |
11,800 total personnel
The Qatar Armed Forces are the military forces of Qatar. The country maintains a modest military force of approximately 11,800 men, including an army (8,500), navy (1,800) and air force (1,500). Qatar's defence expenditures were a total of $1.913 billion, about 1.5% of the national GDP, as of 2010 according to the . Qatar has recently signed defence pacts with the United States in 2002 and 2013 and with the United Kingdom, as well as with France earlier, in 1994. Qatar plays an active role in the collective defence efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the other five members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman. The presence of a large American military base in the country provides the country with a guaranteed source of defence and national security. SIPRI states that Qatar's plans to transform and significantly enlarge its armed forces have accelerated in 2014, and in 2010-14 Qatar was the 46th largest arms importer in the world. Orders in 2013 for 62 tanks and 24 self-propelled guns from Germany were followed in 2014 by a number of other contracts, including 24 combat helicopters and 3 AEW aircraft from the USA, and 2 tanker aircraft from Spain.
The armed forces was founded in 1971 after the country gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Qatar took part in the Gulf War of 1991, with a battalion at the Battle of Khafji. It also hosted the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Doha.
In July 2008, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced Qatar’s official request for logistics support, training, and associated equipment and services. The total value of the support arrangements could be as high as $400 million.
In March 2011, Qatar announced the participation of its Air Force in the enforcement of the Libyan no-fly zone.
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Wikipedia