Military of Bahrain

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Bahrain Defence Force (BDF)

The Military of Bahrain (well known as: Bahrain Defense Force, or BDF in short) comes under Bahrain's Ministry of Defense. It numbers about 9,000 personnel and consists of the Royal Bahraini Army, Royal Bahraini Air Force, Royal Bahraini Navy. Apart from the BDF, the public security forces and the coast guard report to the Ministry of the Interior. Bahrain, in conjunction with its GCC partners (Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) has moved to upgrade its defenses in response to the threat posed by the Iran-Iraq and Gulf wars. In 1982, the GCC gave Bahrain $1.7 billion to help improve its defenses. Bahrain's defense spending since 1999 has been steady. The government spends around $320 million annually on their military. After the Gulf War, Bahrain received additional military support from the United States, including the sale of 54 M60A3 tanks, 12 F-16C/D aircraft, and 14 Cobra helicopters. Joint naval, air and ground exercises also have been planned and executed to increase readiness throughout the Gulf. Bahrain and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in October 1991, granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises. In 2003, United States President George W. Bush designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally of the United States. Since 2003, Bahrain has been granted over $100 million in Foreign Military Funding to pay for various high profile weapons systems, to include an "AN/TPS-59(v)3B Early Warining Radar", "Large Aircraft Counter-InfraRed Measures (LARCIM)", "Air-to-Air Missile Avoidance System" for the Head of State's Plane (Boeing 747-400), as well an Avenger Air Defense Vehicle.

Military Factsheet

Manpower

Expenditures

See also

* Bahrain
* Bahrain Royal Medical Services
* Manama
* Royal Bahraini Air Force
* Royal Bahraini Navy

External links

* [http://www.bdf.gov.bh/ BDF official website]