Kuwaiti Security Forces

Military ForcesNational Service lasts for two years and all men are supposed to receive a 30-day training annually, although few actually do. Kuwait has have well trained junior officers and NCOs, but it lacks effective professional training programs to keep up with its advanced weapon systems and build manpower quality. The Kuwaiti military focuses it’s training on delaying incursions for 48 hours to allow reinforcements from the United States or NATO forces to arrive. (Source)

Kuwait is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), however the GCC has never developed a meaningful concept of integrated air operations and even the upper Gulf part of the GCC – Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia –still effectively fight as independent forces (Source)

Kuwait Air Force (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya)Commander of the Air Force: Lieutenant General Yousif Dawyan al-Otaibi

The operational doctrine of the air force is to provide air support to ground forces however, it is not designed to fight a major war alone, but rather as part of a coalition. The Kuwaiti Air Force is made up of 2,500 people that are organized into 2 fighter/ground attack squadrons, 2 fixed-wing transport squadrons, 2 helicopter squadrons, 1 utility squadron and 1 training/attack helicopter squadrons. Despite being comparatively small in size, it is well equipped and well trained, with Kuwaiti pilots averaging 210 flying hours per year. Kuwait’s air force does not constitute any offensive threat, but can be called upon to support ground forces in defensive operations (Souce: Jane’s World’s Air Forces) (Source)

Kuwaiti Security Forces Personnel Numbers

Air Force 2,500Army 11,000Navy 2,000National Police 4,000

Customs ?National Guard 6,000Civil Defense force 2,000State Security ?

The Kuwaiti Air Force has sixteen Ah-64 apache helicopters, which have the ability to defeat the battlefield air defense systems employed by Iran. These Attack helicopters offer Kuwait a way of providing rapid forward defense as well as some capability to compensate for its lack of strategic depth. They also offer a way of dealing with infiltration across the borders.

Kuwait has a large array of equipment; however it has serious manpower limitations, even though its professional training and readiness are steadily getting better. The Air force would badly need U.S. support in terms of airborne air control and warning platforms, intelligence, targeting, and electronic warfare. The GCC and Kuwait’s neighbors have not organized to provide such support with any real effectiveness, and Kuwait is too exposed for its air force to operate efficiently without it

Kuwaiti Air Force Order of BattleUnit Base Type Role

9 Squadron Ahmed al Jabar F-18C Hornet Air Defense/Attack9 Squadron Ahmed al Jabar F-18D Hornet Continuation Training12 Squadron Ali al Salam Hawk Mk 64 Attack/Training19 Squadron Ali al Salam Tucano Mk 52 Training25 Squadron Ahmed al Jabar F-18C Hornet Air Defense/Attack 25 Squadron Ahmed al Jabar F-18D Hornet Continuation Training32 Squadron Ali al Salam SA 330F Puma Transport 33 Squadron Ali al Salam SA 342L Gazelle Attack/Scout 41 Squadron Kuwait IAP L-100-30

HerculesTransport

62 Squadron Ali al Salam AS 532SC Cougar Anti-ship Attack/Search and Rescue88 Squadron Ali al Salam AH-64D Apache Attack

Kuwait ArmyCommander of the Kuwaiti Army - Lt. Gen. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah (Source)

The Kuwaiti army consists of 11,000 active duty personnel that are organized into 3 armored brigades, 2 mechanized infantry brigades, 1 mechanized recce brigade, 1 force artillery brigade, 1 force engineering brigade, 1 reserve brigade, 1 Amiri guard brigade, 1 commando battalion, 1 air defense command and a special forces unit that is still being formed. The Kuwaiti army's main bases are in Kuwait City (HQ), Al Jabah and Mina Abdullah. It is important to note that Kuwait’s brigades are small by western standards, roughly the equivilant of small regiments or large battalions. They are also “cadre forces’ kept up to 80 percent of full strength with the balance made up of reserves in case of war

The threat of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq has been replaced by the threat of asymmetric attacks by terrorist organization, However the army’s force structure has remained largely static since 2000, and has not adapted its forces to effectively face this new threat. At least two of Kuwait’s brigades now seem capable of deploying with their full equipment strength, although they are only capable of operating within a relitivly short range of their bases due to maintenance and sustenance issues. As stated earlier, Kuwait relies heavily on the United States for protection. Its armed forces have been trained to hold their positions for 48-72 hours before reinforcements arrive. Whether the current strength and training level prepares the Kuwaiti army for this challenge is uncertain. As a precaution, the U.S. Army has placed a permanent mechanized infantry brigade headquarters in Kuwait to bolster its rapid-deployment capabilities in the region. (Source)(Source)(Source)

Kuwait NavyThe Kuwaiti Navy has about 2,000 men, including 500 Coast Guards. Its naval forces are small and limited largely to coastal defense of Kuwait’s 499-kilometer long coastline, and supporting customs and carrying out anti-infiltration missions. Kuwait maintains several naval bases. Its main base is at Ras al-Qalaya, and it has facilities at Um Qasr Port on the Gulf (which was handed over to Kuwait by the United Nations Border Commission), as well as at Shuwaikh, Verba, Al-Harian, Umnm al-Hainan, and al-Bida on its coastline. The naval forces suffered greatly during the Gulf War Since 1990, however, Kuwait rebuilt and maintained relatively similarnaval force structure, but the composition of the force, with only one major vessel being part of both the 1990 and 2000 force posture.

Kuwait’s navy includes eight French-made Ubn Almaradin-class fast attack craft-missile ships. The crews are French-trained and Kuwait has tried to develop ten crews to keep the ships at sea.The navy also has an extensively refitted Istiqlal class (Lurssen FPB-57) missile patrol boat, armed with two twin MM-40 Exocet launchers, and is trying to enhance its inshore interceptor capability with 12 Mk V class fast interceptor craft with a Rheinmetall Waffe Minition 27mm MLG 27

lightweight naval gun system. Kuwait also has two Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) boats, and four support craft however, its uncertain whether these boats are operational. In addition to the patrol boats listed discussed above, Kuwait operates about a dozen former Iraqi or onetime private small craft for patrol and utility duties.

The Kuwaitis have also committed to significantly upgrading their communication and surveillance capabilities. Kuwait will spend $50 million to acquire the Advanced Tactical Communications System VHF radio. The Kuwaiti Defense Ministry has procured an aerostat, along with the necessary components, that will provide low-altitude airborne surveillance.

The Kuwaiti Navy has limited capability, but may be able to deal with low-level infiltration by forces like terrorists or Iran’s Naval Guards. It would need support from the U.S. Navy, or some other larger force, in any serious confrontation with Iran. (Source)(Source)

Kuwait Air Defense Kuwaiti land-based air defense is under the operational control of the air force. There are no independent estimates of the Kuwaiti air defense’s manpower.

The force has a range of air defense surface-to-air missiles, including some very modern systems. The most advanced is the s a Patriot system, which includes five batteries and an inventory of 210 missiles, though some have been fired. These batteries and missiles have been integrated into the C3I system that Hughes Aircraft developed for Kuwait, as have the HAWK batteries (4 batteries with six launchers).

The version of Patriot deployed in Kuwait is far superior to the system deployed during the Gulf War in 1990-1991, and the system seems to have been further improved in terms of identification of friend or foe (IFF) and low altitude capabilities as a result of lessons learned during the Iraq War in 2003. It successfully engaged nine Iraqi tactical missiles during the fighting in 2003. The Patriot has some ballistic missile defense capability against Scud-like and other systems, but would be largely a point defense system against incoming missiles with very high closing velocities.

Kuwait air defense also seems to have had 48 Stardust launchers with 250 missiles in 2006. There are six Amoun batteries, and each includes one Skyguard radar, two Aspide launchers, and two twin Oerlikon 35mm AA guns. It is uncertain how many Oerlikon AA guns Kuwait has.

The Kuwaiti Air Defense’s overall readiness and sustainability is unclear, but the Patriot units seem properly trained and to have acquired good capability by regional

standards. They deployed to defensive positions around Kuwait City during the war with Iraq, and at least one battery had seven out of eight launchers operational. (Source)

Law Enforcement/ Paramilitary Kuwait’s internal stability largely depends on the effectiveness of its police and internal security apparatus. (Source) National Guard The National Guard is organized into three battalions, an armored vehicle unit, a special forces unit and a military police battalion. The national guard is largely organized to put down political uprisings, but it has been tasked with several other missions. These include protecting the royal family, providing assistance to the military and security forces, and the execution of any assignment entrusted to it by the higher defense council, such as safeguarding establishments and utilities of sensitive nature and importance. It has also been used as a counter-terrorism force however its counter-terrorism capabilities are uncertain (Source)

Civil Defense Force The Civil Defense Force was formed before the Gulf War to cope with the threat of Iranian bombing. Its role has been to deal with the effects of an invasion, as well as to prepare to handle events such as national disasters. Before the 2003 invasion against Iraq, the Civil Defense force focused on conducting exercises on how to deal with the possibility that Iraq may attack Kuwait’s oil facilities with chemical or biological weapons. Over time, the force has been relatively stable: in 1990, the total manpower was with the addition of 20 VBLs from 1990 to 2000. The APC fleet has also increased from 82 to 92, though the composition of the forces changed: 70 Pandur 6x6 light APCs and 22 Shorthand S600 series APC instead of the V-150 and V-300 Commando APCs. (Source)

Kuwaiti National Police The Kuwait Police is a national organisation which has a complement of about 4,000, the majority being assigned to Kuwait City. It is a semi-military organisation, equipped with small-arms, light weapons and all-terrain vehicles, and is capable of dealing with violent disorder as well as performing normal police duties. The police are directly responsible to the Emir through the Ministry of the Interior. In fact, over 90 per cent of the Ministry of the Interior's heads of departments are police officers. The National Police is deployed for public order enforcement and its primary responsibility is internal security. Police units are based in all major urban centres. The National Police has a number of departments, including Criminal Investigation, Logistics, Traffic and Rescue, Nationality and Travel Documents, Immigration Affairs, Department of Criminal Evidence, General Department of Investigation and Airport Police. In addition, there are Special Security Forces, whose role includes the protection of important buildings and installations. Computers have been used

increasingly by the police in recent years. All records on motor vehicles have been computerised. It is understood that extensive computerised records have been built up on individuals regarded as a threat to state security. Police are trained at the Police Academy, founded in 1968. Trainees may undertake a three year course, culminating in qualifications such as the Bachelor's Degree in Law, or the Diploma in Police Sciences. (Source)

Customs Head of the Customs Service - Ibrahim Al Ghanem. (Source)

Apart from routine customs duties, the Kuwaiti customs authorities have a particular role in preventing the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country. Kuwait has a heroin problem and courts may impose the death penalty for drugs trafficking. A number of drugs smugglers have been hanged in recent years. In addition, the Kuwaiti customs service has a role in internal security. The service seeks to detect terrorists seeking to enter the country and also to detect attempts to illegally import weapons and explosives for use by terrorists. The service also has a role in combating terrorist financing and money laundering. Being an Islamic state, the Kuwait General Administration of Customs has a role in preventing the importation of alcohol, pork products and pornography, which are illegal in Kuwait. (Source)

Intelligence Kuwait State Security The Kuwait State Security Service oversees intelligence and national security related matters. They fall under the authority of the Ministry of Interior. (Source)

Military Bases in Kuwait (Green –Army, Purple– Air Force, Blue – Navy, White – US Bases)

I couldn’t find all the bases listed in my research, here are a list of bases that are not shown above because I couldn’t pinpoint their locations: Al-Harian, Umm Al-Hainan, Al Bida, Verba, Al Jabah, Camp Patriot, Camp Wolf and the Udairi Range

Kuwaiti Army (Source)

Kuwaiti Army (Source)

Kuwaiti Civil Defense (Source)

Kuwaiti Civil Defense (Source)

Kuwaiti National Police women (Source)

Kuwaiti National Policeman (Source)

Kuwait National Guard (Source)

Kuwait National Guard (Source)

Kuwait Air Force (Source)

Kuwait Air Force (Source)

Kuwait Navy (Source)

Kuwait Navy (Source)