United Arab Emirates Army

As part of the military of the United Arab Emirates, the United Arab Emirates Army is responsible for land operations.
Origins.
The origins of the UAE Army begin with the formation, by the British Government, of the Trucial Oman Levies in 1951 (renamed Trucial Oman Scouts in 1956). The Trucial Oman Scouts was disbanded with the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 and its assets were subsumed into the new "Union Defense Force (UDF)" in which each Emirate was responsible for training and equipping its own forces. These separate "Ruler-Controlled" Armed Forces included: the Abu Dhabi Defense Force (1965-1976), the Ras Al Khaimah Mobile Force (1968-1976), the Dubai Defense Force (1970-1976) and the Sharjah National Guard (1972-1976). It was not until the formation of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces on 6 May 1976 that the UAE and its Army had a unified, federally controlled General Headquarters based in the capital Abu Dhabi.
Operational history.
Union Defense Force (1971-1976).
With the Union of seven Emirates in 1971, a new Union Defense Force (UDF) was established with each individual Emirate responsible for maintaining their own force.
While the UDF's mission was to defend the nation from external and internal aggression, the role of the UDF in the early years was restricted mostly to the former. The UDF were used on two occasions in Sharjah in the early years of the Union.
Sharjah-Fujairah border conflict.
In February 1973 following a brief border war between armed Bedouin tribesmen from both Sharjah Emirate and Fujairah Emirate over a disputed area of land which covered a quarter of an acre and included water wells and date palm trees. 22 people were killed and another 12 were wounded before UDF troops were able to impose a ceasefire.
Sharjah-Dubai border conflict.
On 20 August 1973, an incident occurred at Tawi Nizwa on the Sharjah-Dubai border. Tawi Nizwa was a small inland settlement which both Sharjah and Dubai claimed was in their territory. Dubai had recently drilled a water well at the location. On 20 August, A Dubai Defense Force helicopter flew over the site to view developments on the ground. Sharjah forces on the ground fired at the helicopter. It was hit some 43 times and forced to land. No-one was injured. The conflict could have escalated into a conflict but did not thanks to the personal intervention of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in his role as Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates. This incident would have a major role in the integration of the diffused UDF into the centralized Armed Forces of the UAE in 1976.
Oman (1973-1975).
An ADDF infantry squadron was based in Sohar, Oman from October 1973 to January 1974 and from November 1974 to April 1975. Its role was to relieve the Oman Gendarmerie unit in Sohar so the latter could deploy to Dhofar province in the south in order to combat rebel activity there during the Dhofar Rebellion.
Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates (1976-present).
In the five years since 1971, the UAE federation went from strength to strength and a subsequent decrease in internal aggression was apparent. It was agreed by the Rulers of the various Emirates to unify and integrate the various forces of the UDF into one centralized Armed Forces. This occurred on 6 May 1976 and the various Emirate-controlled forces were reorganized into regional commands: Abu Dhabi Defense Force became Western Military Command, Dubai Defense Force became Central Military Command, and Ras Al Khaimah became Northern Command. Sharjah's armed force merged with the remnants of the federally controlled UDF to create the Al Yarmouk infantry brigade. The UAE Armed Forces also participated in some of its first overseas missions.
Arab Deterrent Force in Lebanon (1977-79).
The UAE Armed Forces contributed 750 men to the Arab Deterrent Force peacekeeping mission in Lebanon from 1977 to 1979, organized by the Arab League in October 1976. Five UAE contingents were deployed in the Bekaa Valley during the Lebanese Civil War. Three UAE Armed Forces personnel were killed in action, and eight injured.
First Gulf War (1990-91).
During the War against Iraq, UAE troops reported that they have deployed several thousands of men in that engagement. They participated in the conflict as part of the GCC-led Peninsula Shield force that advanced into the city of Kuwait. United States military aviation bombed the Iraqi positions from the UAE, and United States ships operated out of UAE ports along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The UAE Air Force also carried out strikes against Iraqi forces. A total of ten UAE combat deaths and 15 wounded were reported as a result of these battles.
Somalia (1993-1994).
From January 1993 to April 1994, the UAE Armed Forces participated in humanitarian operations in Somalia under the United Task Force (UNITAF) and UN Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II). UAE land forces supplied a 640-man group in four rotations during this period. Three UAE Armed Forces personnel were killed in action.
Kosovo & Albania (1999-2001).
The UAE Armed Forces participated in two peacekeeping/humanitarian missions in the Balkans over the 1999-2001 period: NATO-led Operation Kosovo Force (KFOR) and Operation White Hands. Almost 1,500 Emirati troops served in the two missions.
Afghanistan (2003-2014).
The UAE and its Land Forces participated in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission (2001-2014) and committed to contribute to the follow-on mission of ISAF; the NATO-led Operation Resolute Support (2015-).
Yemeni Civil War (2015-present).
During the 2015 Yemeni Civil War the United Arab Emirates Army (together with Saudi Army soldiers) intervened in support of fighters loyal to the ousted regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi against Houthi militants. UAE troops assisted anti-Houthi fighters in the re-taking of the strategic southern Yemeni port city of Aden and also Al Anad Air Base, the largest airbase in Yemen.
On 4 September 2015 the army suffered its heaviest loss in modern history, losing 52 soldiers in war in Yemen to a tactical ballistic missile strike. The UAE has since deployed an entire armoured brigade to Yemen.
Up until November 2017 the UAE forces have suffered 120 dead.
On 3 May 2018, the United Arab Emirates deployed over 100 troops, artillery and armoured vehicles to the Yemeni archipelago of Socotra in the Arabian Sea without prior coordination with the internationally recognised Government of Yemen. Shortly after landing, UAE forces expelled Yemeni soldiers stationed at key installations, including Socotra Airport and the flag of the United Arab Emirates was raised above official government buildings in Hadibu.