Qatar Armed Forces
The Qatar Armed Forces (Arabic: القوات المسلحة القطرية, romanized: Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Qatariyyah) are the military forces of the State of Qatar. Since 2015, Qatar has implemented mandatory military conscription with an average of 2,000 graduates per year. As of 2010, Qatar's defence expenditures added up to a total of $1.913 billion, about 1.5% of the national GDP, according to the SIPRI. Qatar has recently signed defence pacts with the United States in 2002 & 2013, with the United Kingdom in 2020 , and with France in 1994.
| Qatar Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| القوات المسلحة القطرية | |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Service branches | Qatari Emiri Land Force Qatari Emiri Navy Qatar Emiri Air Force Qatar Amiri Guard |
| Headquarters | Doha |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Prime minister | Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani |
| Minister of State for Defence Affairs | Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah |
| Chief of Staff | Lieutenant General Salem bin Hamad bin Mohammed bin Aqeel Al Nabit |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Available for military service | 389,487 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 210,00 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 321,974 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 140,176 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | 96,429 males (2010 est.), 75,162 females (2010 est.) |
| Active personnel | 16,500 |
| Reserve personnel | 15,000 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$1.913 billion (2010, no data afterwards) |
| Percent of GDP | 2.5% (2016) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Barzan Holdings |
| Foreign suppliers | Australia Brazil Canada China France Germany Italy Japan South Korea Netherlands Taiwan Turkey United Kingdom United States |
| Related articles | |
| History | Gulf War Libyan Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Syrian Civil War |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Qatar |
Qatar plays an active role in the collective defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the other five members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman. Qatar also hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East and in 2017 inaugurated a military attache office in Washington.
SIPRI states that Qatar's plans to transform and significantly enlarge its armed forces have accelerated in 2014, and in 2010-14 Qatar was the 46th largest arms importer in the world. Orders in 2013 for 562 tanks and 75 self-propelled guns from Germany were followed in 2014 by a number of other contracts, including 34 combat helicopters and 3 AEW aircraft from the US, and 6 tanker aircraft from Spain. As of 2016, Qatar maintains advanced anti air and anti ship capabilities with deliveries of Patriot PAC-3 MSE Batteries, Exocet MM40 Block 3 and Marte ER anti-ship missiles.