| Kuwait Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| القوات المسلحة الكويتيه | |
 | |
| Service branches |  Kuwait Army  Kuwait Air Force  Kuwait Naval Force  Kuwait National Guard |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah |
| Minister of Defence | Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah |
| Chief of the General Staff | Ghazi Hassan Al-Shammari |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | One year mandatory service for men aged 18-35 years[1] |
| Available for military service | 1,687,485[2]: Available Manpower , age 15–49 |
| Fit for military service | 1,417,488[2]: Fit-for-Service , age 15–49 |
| Reaching military age annually | 36,818[2]: Reaching Mil Age Annually |
| Active personnel | 72,000[2]: Active Personnel |
| Reserve personnel | 24,000[2]: Reserve Personnel |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | US$8.2 billion[2]: Defense Budget |
| Percent of GDP | 7.1% (2023) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  Canada China France Germany Italy Russia United Kingdom United States |
| Related articles | |
| History |
|
| Ranks | Military ranks of Kuwait |
The Kuwait Armed Forces (Arabic: القوات المسلحة الكويتية, romanized: Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Kuwaitiyah) are the military forces of the State of Kuwait. They consist of the Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Army, the Kuwait Navy & the Kuwait National Guard. The governing bodies are the Kuwait Ministry of Defense,[3] the Kuwait Ministry of Interior,[4] and the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate.[5] The Emir of Kuwait is the commander-in-chief of all defense forces while the Crown Prince is the deputy commander.
The early military structured organization which first dealt with security and the military following the engagements of Kuwait Army's infantry and cavalry protecting the three mounted defensive walls (third defensive wall mounted in 1920) of Kuwait prior and following to The Great War, was the Directorate of Public Security Force, formed during the Interwar period and mainly after World War II. The Directorate of Public Security Force already included the partnership integration of the Kuwait Army and Directorate of Police as independent forces following the formation of the first cabinet on June 17, 1962, after the independence.[6][7] In 1953, the Kuwait Army split from the Directorate of Public Security Force; the latter merged with the Directorate of Police in 1959, giving formation to the newly established Kuwait Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Interior includes the Kuwait Coast Guard and has several military commanders, designated by government protocol as assistant ministers undersecretaries,[8] each reporting to the Minister of Interior who is designated by protocol as Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait.
Upon splitting from the Directorate of Public Security Force in 1953, the Kuwait Army acted as the de facto command leadership of the available armed forces since establishment. The Kuwait Army was created in 1949, thirteen years before the ministry and partly mainly at the time composed almost entirely of land force components with the Kuwait Air Force being created in 1953. With the creation of the Kuwait Armed Forces in 1963, the Kuwait Ministry of Defense[3] eventually became and is the governing body of the Kuwait Armed Forces, which includes the Kuwait Land Force, the Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade, the Kuwait Military Police Authority, the Kuwait Emiri Guard Authority, the Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Naval Force, the Kuwait Military Fire Service Directorate and others. Each armed force at disposition of the respective combat commander, reports to the Chief of General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces who later reports to the Minister of Defense, designated also by protocol as Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait.
The Kuwait National Guard, however, is an independent combat institution from the Ministry of Defense and Interior and acts independently under the guidance, discretion and disposition of the respective leadership, supporting the Military of the State of Kuwait as needed and required.[9][10] The Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, is also an independent public fire fighting body with military ranks and ribbons identifications.[5]
- ^ Building New Gulf States Through Conscription, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 25 April 2018
- ^ a b c d e f "2023 Kuwait Military Strength". Global Firepower. 9 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023. Site states values partly derived from the CIA World Factbook.
- ^ a b www.mod.gov.kw Archived 2014-02-11 at the Wayback Machine (Official Website).
- ^ "Ministry of Interior – Kuwait::Home". Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b "الإدارة العامة للإطفاء". kwtfire.gov.kw. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
- ^ "Nine ministers headed Interior Ministry since Kuwait's independence". KUNA. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "History". Kuwait Airport. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Official website of Kuwait Ministry of Interior Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic).
- ^ "- KUWAIT NATIONAL GUARD - الحرس الوطني الكويتي -". Archived from the original on 2006-07-16. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ Kuwait National Guard Mission Statement and History Archived 2018-10-04 at the Wayback Machine (Arabic Read). Retrieved March 3, 2015.