Kuwait Army
The Kuwait Army, established in 1949, is the oldest armed branch among the military of Kuwait.[1] Its cavalry and infantry predecessors operated in desert and metropolitan areas in 1919, 1920 and 1928 to 1938, tracing their roots directly to the cavalrymen and infantrymen that defended Al-Kout Fortress since the 19th century along with various mounted defensive forces. The "Kuwait Army" was later established as the Kuwait Land Force, which became the principal land force of the Kuwait Armed Forces.
| Kuwait Land Forces | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Kuwait |
| Branch | Military of Kuwait |
| Type | Land force |
| Size | 30,000 personnel |
| Garrison/HQ | Kuwait City |
| Nickname(s) | His Highness Land Force |
| Motto(s) | الله والوطن والامير God, Country & The Emir |
| Colors | Green & Red |
| Anniversaries | National and Liberation Day (25 and 26 February) |
| Engagements |
|
| Decorations | Military awards and decorations |
| Commanders | |
| Assistant Chief Combat Commander of Kuwait Land Force | Land Force Commander |
History
The Kuwait Army was created in 1949 by Field Marshal Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah (1949–1961) during the time when its partnership was included part of the Directorate of Public Security Force in 1938 prior to splitting in 1953. As Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah headed the Directorate of Public Security Force which included the Kuwait Army; the later, was headed by deputy commander Colonel Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
In 1990 and 1991, most of the equipment was seized and or destroyed by invading Iraqi forces.
Structure and organization
- Kuwait 6th Liberation Mechanized Brigade
- Kuwait 15th Mubarak Armored Brigade
- Kuwait 26th Al-Soor Mechanized Brigade
- Kuwait 35th Shahid (Martyr) Armored Brigade
- Kuwait 94th Saleh Al-Mohammed Mechanized Brigade
- Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade (Independent)
- Kuwait Emiri Guard Authority (Independent)
- Kuwait Military Police Authority (Independent)
- Kuwait Military Fire Service Directorate
Equipment
Kuwaiti M-84AB tanks parading on 25 and 26 February 2011 with members of the 34 nations coalition force partners; celebrations that marked the 50th anniversary of the Independence, the 20th anniversary of Liberation and the 5th anniversary of the ascendance of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the leadership of the State of Kuwait.
Armored fighting vehicles
| Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1A2 Abrams | Main battle tank | 218 | United States | Delivered between 1994–97, to be upgraded |
| M-84AB | Main battle tank | 149 | Yugoslavia | 200 Ordered 1989 and 15 in service by 1990 |
| Desert Warrior | Infantry fighting vehicle | 254 | United Kingdom | 236 with 25 mm gun, 18 APC. in 2009 Kuwait Upgraded the fire control system, (GITS II) hardware, Improved Thermal Sight System and 2nd Generation Forward-Looking Infrared Radar |
| BMP-3 | Infantry fighting vehicle | 245 | Soviet Union | 142 delivered in 1994–1997. A new contract was signed in 2009 for 70 BMP-3M delivered in 2010-2011. another Contract was signed in 2014 for 33 more, Executed on 30 September 2015. |
| BMP-2 | Infantry fighting vehicle | 76 | Soviet Union | 245 delivered between 1989–90 and 46 delivered between 1994–95, 76 in service as of 2005 |
| M113A2 | Armoured personnel carrier | 126 | United States | - |
| M577 | Armoured personnel carrier | 30 | United States | Command post vehicle |
| Fahd 240 | Armoured personnel carrier | 60 | Egypt | Second largest operator in 1988. The Fahd was used by the Kuwaiti side during the invasion of Kuwait, when it lost most of them. Kuwait received more units in 1994, and had most of its captured units returned by Iraq in 1995. =>[2] |
| M88A2 Hercules | Armoured recovery vehicle | 14 | United States | 14× M88A2 in service with the Kuwait Army.[3] |
| M-84AI | Armoured recovery vehicle | 15 | Poland, Yugoslavia | Polish WZT-3 built under license by Yugoslavia as M-84AI |
| Fuchs 2 NBC-RS | Armoured personnel carrier | 0 | Germany | NBC vehicle, 12 on order[4] |
Logistics and utility vehicles
| Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humvee | Multipurpose wheeled vehicle | 2,300 | United States | Vehicles sold via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program |
Self-propelled field artillery
| Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLZ-45 | Self-propelled howitzer | 75 | China | 27 delivered 2000–01, 24 between 2002–03 and 24 ordered 2003 |
| M-109A1B | Self-propelled howitzer | 23 | United States | Withdrawn from service |
Multiple launch rocket systems
| Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BM-30 Smerch | Multiple rocket launcher | 27 | Russia | Purchased 1995–96 |
Anti-tank
| Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPG-7 | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union | — | |
| TOW M-901 | Anti-tank guided weapon | 58 | United States | — |
| M966/M966A1 | TOW missile carrier | 66 | United States | |
| TOW II | Anti-tank guided weapon | 82 launchers | United States | — |
| AT-5 Spandrel | Anti-tank guided weapon | 2402 missiles | Soviet Union | |
| AT-4 Spigot | Anti-tank guided weapon | 4601 Missiles | Soviet Union | — |
| AT-10 | Anti-tank guided weapon | 1250 Missiles | Russia | — |
| 9M133 Kornet | Anti-tank guided weapon | Russia | ||
| Carl Gustav M3 | Recoilless rifle | 200 | Sweden | |
Small arms
| Name | Type | Caliber | Country of origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beretta 92 | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm Parabellum | Italy | |
| Browning HP | Semi-automatic pistol | Belgium | ||
| CAR-15 | Carbine | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | |
| FN MAG | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm NATO | Belgium | |
| HK MP5 | Submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | Germany | |
| M16A2 | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | Standard issue rifle. |
| M4 carbine | Carbine | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | |
| M60 machine gun | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm NATO | United States | Often mounted on vehicles. |
Kuwait Army Ranks
His Highness, the Emir of Kuwait: Commander-in-chief of the Military of Kuwait (Arabic: القائد الأعلى للقوات المسلحة الكويتية)
His Highness, the Crown Prince of Kuwait: Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Military of Kuwait (Arabic: نائب القائد الأعلى للقوات المسلحة الكويتية)
Commissioned Officers
| Equivalent NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) and student officer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait Army |
No equivalent |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
No equivalent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General (فريق أول) |
Lieutenant General (فريق) |
Major General (لواء) |
Brigadier General (عميد) |
Colonel (عقيد) |
Lieutenant Colonel (مقدم) |
Major (رائد) |
Captain (نقيب) |
First Lieutenant (ملازم أول) |
Second Lieutenant (ملازم) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enlisted
| Equivalent NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwait Army |
 |
 |
No equivalent |  |
 |
 |
No equivalent |  |
No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Warrant Officer وکیل اول |
Warrant Officer وکیل |
Sergeant First Class رقیب اول |
Sergeant رقیب |
Corporal عریف |
Private 1st Class وکیل عریف |
Private جندي | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- Enein, Youssef H. Aboul (May–June 2004). "A History of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces". Military Review. 84 (3). Retrieved 12 October 2013. – via Questia (subscription required)
- John Pike (22 April 2013). "Kuwait – Army Equipment". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- Army Recognition. "World Defence News: Rheinmetall of Germany contract to supply 12 Fuchs 2 NBC 6x6 reconnaissance vehicles to Kuwait". worlddefencenews.blogspot.com.
External links
Armies of Asia | |
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| Sovereign states |
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| States with limited recognition |
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| Dependencies and other territories |
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