The Royal Army of Oman (Arabic: الجيش العماني, transliterated: al-Jaīsh al-'Umānī) is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison. It has a current strength of 35,000 personnel. History Oman has a military history which dates back to the seventh century, when troops from the Alozd tribe were strong enough to help Abu Bakr, companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. At the beginning of the seventeenth century there were local forces associated with Ya'ariba dynasty. It was this dynasty, which forced the expulsion of Portuguese from the country in 1650. The Ya'ariba dynasty were responsible for most of the fortified site across what is now the Sultanate of Oman from Musandam in the north to the southern province of Dhofar. The Royal Army of Oman officially traces its origins back to the formation of the Muscat Garrison in 1907, this local garrison force was developed and became the Muscat Infantry in 1921. An agreement between the Omani and the British governments in 1958 led to the creation of the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) and the creation of formally structured Omani army units. At the same time the United Kingdom promised to provide direct assistance in the development of the SAF and its land forces. During the 1960 and 1970s, army units fought in the Dhofar Rebellion alongside British units and it relied on embedded unit-level British military advisors, who saw combat alongside the units they were very much part of. At the end of the Dhofar Rebellion the Omani army became an independent service known as the Sultan of Oman Land Forces in 1976. In 1990, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said renamed his land forces the Royal Army of Oman (RAO). The RAO frequently exercises with the armed forces of fellow Gulf Cooperation Council nations and other strategic defense partners such as the US and UK. Ground Forces Organisation According to the latest MoD Telephone Directory published by Omantel, RAO is structured as follows: HQ RAO at Muaskar al Murtafa'a (MAM) near Seeb Two infantry brigades: 11 Brigade (the southern brigade) based in Salalah 23 Brigade (the northern brigade) based at MAM The Sultan's Armour Units (MSO) based at Sultan bin Safy Camp at Shafa, near Izki Two regiments of main battle tanks (Challenger 2 and M60A3) Medium Reconnaissance Regiment (FV101 Scorpion) The Border Guard Brigade with