Military of the Arab League

The Arab League as an organization has no military force, like the United Nations or the European Union, but recently in the 2007 summit, the Leaders decided to reactivate their joint defense and establish a peacekeeping force to deploy in South Lebanon, Darfur, Iraq, Somalia, and other hot spots.

History

The military history of the Arab League is closely linked to the Arab–Israeli conflict. The 1950 Arab Joint Security Pact set out provisions for collective security among the Arab states, but only in 1961 was the Joint Arab Command (JAC) proposed as a unified military command for the Arab League first by the Joint Defence Council, an institution of the Arab League.

Before the JAC could take shape, a unanimous resolution was passed at the first Arab League summit (January 1964) establishing the United Arab Command (UAC), although the UAC's inactivity following the Samu Incident (1966) and during the Six-Day War (1967) signalled its de facto dissolution.

Arab Liberation Army

The Arab Liberation Army (جيش الإنقاذ العربي Jaysh al-Inqadh al-Arabi), also translated as Arab Salvation Army, was an army of volunteers from Arab countries led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji. It fought on the Arab side in the 1948 Palestine war and was set up by the Arab League as a counter to the Arab High Committee's Holy War Army, though in fact the League and Arab governments prevented thousands from joining either force.[1]

At the meeting in Damascus on 5 February 1948 to organize Palestinian Field Commands, Northern Palestine including Samaria was allocated to Qawuqji's forces, although Samaria was de facto already under the control of Transjordan.[2]

The Arab League Military Committee, with headquarters in Damascus, was responsible for the movements and servicing of the Army. The Committee consisted of General Ismail Safwat (Iraq, Commander-in-Chief), General Taha al-Hashimi (Iraq), Colonel Shuqayri (Lebanon), Colonel Muhammed al-Hindi (Syria) and Colonel Abd al-Qadir al-Jundi (Transjordan).

The ALA was dissolved at the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[3]

Current strength of Arab League member states

N Country Military Service Age Military Manpower Availability Military Manpower Fit Active Military Personnel Reserve Military Personnel
1 Algeria 19 20,400,000 17,250,000 130,000 150,000
2 Bahrain 18 800,000 680,000 18,200 35,805
3 Comoros 18 139,491 205,207 1,000 N/A
4 Djibouti 18 391,797 268,730 20,470 12,220
5 Egypt 18 20,772,105 18,479,612 438,500 479,000
6 Iraq 18 11,512,731 9,701,179 538,000 664,169
7 Jordan 17 2,920,637 2,506,087 110,700 65,000
8 Kuwait 18 1,619,438 1,346,118 58,300 57,285
9 Lebanon 18 2,229,474 1,883,155 72,000 20,000
10 Libya 18 3,489,272 2,970,078 35,000 65,000
11 Mauritania 18 1,214,418 754,782 15,870 5,000
12 Morocco 18 15,791,743 13,160,516 198,000 175,000
13 Oman 18 1,228,492 1,016,551 75,000 35,000
14 Palestine 18 N/A N/A N/A N/A
15 Qatar 18 555,059 462,150 67,000 N/A
16 Saudi Arabia 18 15,240,714 4,725,514 227,000 127,000
17 Somalia 18 4,479,288 2,715,538 13,000 24,000
18 Sudan 18 16,427,378 11,077,040 109,300 85,000
19 Syria 18 11,550,588 9,939,661 142,000 150,000
20 Tunisia 18 4,848,103 4,036,188 40,500 20,000
21 United Arab Emirates 18 752,707 412,490 63,000 180,000
22 Yemen 18 7,926,335 5,583,111 30,000 N/A
_ Arab League 18 129,183,640 119,039,543 1,828,840+ 1,694,310+

List of Arab League member states by military expenditure

N Country Military expenditure
1  Algeria $ 13.00 Billions +
2  Bahrain $ 1.39 Billion +
3  Comoros $ 1.61 Billion +
4  Djibouti $1.61 Billion +
5  Egypt $ 6.94 Billion +
6  Iraq $ 20.88 Billions +
7  Jordan $ 2.50 Billions +
8  Kuwait $ 15.00 Billions +
9  Lebanon $ 1.75 Billions +
10  Libya $ 3.00 Billions +
11  Mauritania $ 1.71 Billions +
12  Morocco $ 3.40 Billions +
13  Oman $ 9.77 Billions +
14  Palestine $1.49 Billions +
15  Qatar $ 2. 71 Billions +
16  Saudi Arabia $ 78.70 Billions +
17  Somalia $ 2.71 Billions +*
18  Sudan $ 3.13 Billions +*
19  Syria $ 3.31 Billions +
20  Tunisia $ 1.49 Billion +
21  United Arab Emirates $ 22.9 Billions +
22  Yemen $ 3.50 Billions +*
_  Arab League $ 187.50 Billions +

References

  1. Levenberg, Haim (1993). Military Preparations of the Arab Community in Palestine: 1945–1948. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-3439-5
  2. Levenberg, Haim (1993). Military Preparations of the Arab Community in Palestine: 1945–1948. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-3439-5
  3. Levenberg, Haim (1993). Military Preparations of the Arab Community in Palestine: 1945–1948. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-3439-5
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