United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates. They are also occasionally referred to as "Little Sparta", a nickname that was given by former United States Marine Corps General and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, due to their active and effective military role and power projection in the surrounding region compared to their relative size.
A falcon was added to the original Trucial Oman Levies insignia to signify the union of the emirates and formation of a force.
A UAE Armed Forces Special Ops soldier assigned to Special Operations Task Force-West patrols villages in Afghanistan on 7 April 2011.
UAEAF crew chief communicating during an engine test at Nellis Air Force Base during Red Flag 11-2 on 2 February 2011
UAE Army BMP-3 conducting live fire desert training
The Trucial Oman Scouts was a paramilitary force that the British raised in 1951 as the Trucial Oman Levies, to serve in the Trucial States. In 1956, the Levies were renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts. In 1971, upon the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the scouts were handed to the United Arab Emirate's government and formed its Federal Union Defence Force (UDF) which is today renamed as the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.
A falcon was added to the original Trucial Oman Scouts insignia to signify the union of the seven emirates and formation of the Union Defence Force.
