Gulf States review armed forces

Press, 9 June 1986, Page 12

Gulf States review armed forces

By

DINA MATAR,

of Reuter, in Bahrain

The Gulf Arab States, heavy spenders on military hardware, are encouraging their nationals to enter the armed sevices as winds of uncertainty and change sweep the area. With relatively small populations, most of the oil-rich countries have a sizeable foreign element in their armed forces, recruiting mainly from countries like Pakistan, Jordan, North Yemen, and Turkey. Some of the States offer substantial inducements to their nationals to sign up for a military career, including high pay and welfare and housing benefits.

The dramatic fall in oil income and the long-running IranIraq war, which has spilled over into attacks on Gulf shipping, has added a sense of urgency to the appeals. Saudi Arabia, which has spent many billions of dollars on American and European weaponry and now faces strong Congressional opposition to further purchases from the United States, has stepped up calls to Saudi youths to join the armed forces.

“We urge our young men to

join the armed forces and carry out the sacred duty of defending the country,” the Defence Minister, Prince Sultan ibn Abdulaziz, told graduates at a military academy recently. Diplomatic sources in the region say Riyadh will continue efforts to recruit educated Saudis to handle its huge arsenal to replace foreigners hired in the oil boom days of the 19705.

Saudi Arabia, with an estimated population of around 10 million, has 52,500 men in the regular forces and a further 10,000 in the National Guard, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic studies. Diplomatic sources estimate the number of foreigners, including American, British, and French training advisers, at up to 7000. The kingdom has no call-up, and diplomats say there is no immediate idea to conscript nationals into the services; but the Deputy Defence Minister, Prince Abdulrahman ibn Abdulaziz, gave some clue to official thinking last month when he said there were plans to introduce military ciasses at schools

"under directives from King Fahd.” About one-third of the population is of school age. Of Saudi Arabia’s five allies in the Gulf Co-operation Council, founded in 1981 as an economic and defence grouping, only Kuwait has a conscription programme. The other council members are the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. A 1978 law in Kuwait introduced a two-year military service programme there for males between the ages of 18 and 30. It also provides for the training of women. Conscripts in Kuwait, the closest council State to the Gulf war front, remain on reserve until aged 40 and are liable for annual refresher call-ups. Officials say there are no plans to step up recruitment, and women have not been called up, in spite of an Iranian drive in February which brought the Gulf war front to within sight of Kuwaiti territory. The size of the armed forces, whose hardware includes Mirage warplanes, missile-armed patrol boats and armoured vehicles, is estimated by the International Institute for Strategic Studies at 12,000.

Kuwait has advisers from Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, from which it has purchased weaponry. Pakistanis also serve in areas traditionally shunned by Kuwaitis, who constitute only 40 per cent of the 1.7 million population.

In the U.A.E., a federation of seven emirates, the appointed Parliament of Abu Dhabi has recommended that all nationals between the age of 18 and 30 receive military training. The Executive Council and ruler of Abu Dhabi have still to approve the move, which would not affect the other emirates. Television, meanwhile, runs regular spots to attract U.A.E. nationals — only 31 per cent out of a population of 1.17 million — to join the 43,000-strong armed forces. Diplomats say most military personel are foreigners of some 20 different nationalities, including several hundred who arrived from Morocco last year. In Oman, efforts are being made to “Omanize” the armed forces, which have swelled to 21,500 men from 14,500 in 1980. Banking sources say contracts for non-Omani personnel in the forces are not being renewed, partly also because of the fall in oil revenues due to lower world prices.

As part of reduced defence spending, delivery of eight Tornado warplanes from Britain, worth £250 million (SNZ3BO million), has been delayed four years to 1992. There are no major moves to press the recruitment of nationals in the two other council states, Bahrain and Qatar, with armed forces strength of 2800 and 6000 respectively. These two Gulf neighbours are at loggerheads over Qatar’s miliatry occupation in late April of a disputed reef in the waters separating them. Diplomatic sources said their total combined population of only 700,000 people, of whom half are estimated to be nonnationals, mitigated against further increasing local recruitment.

In all, the council countries, which agreed in 1984 on a joint reaction force against external threat, can field up to 150,000 men — compared with two million by Iran across the Gulf. Diplomatic sources say the naval and air strength of the six countries is adequate for . coastal patrols and aerial surveillance of the Gulf waters. Added to this are four United States Early Warning and Airborne Control System aircraft, on loan to Saudi Arabia under a 1981 agreement.