Kuwait Naval Force
| Kuwait Navy Force | |
|---|---|
| القوة البحرية الكويتية | |
| File:KNF Seal.svg | |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Country | File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait |
| Branch | Military of Kuwait |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 4,000 personnel |
| Part of | Kuwait Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Mohammed Al-Ahmad Kuwait Naval Base |
| Nickname | His Highness Sea Vanguard |
| Mottos | لله والوطن والامير God, Country & The Emir |
| Colors | Green & Red |
| Anniversaries | National and Liberation Day (25 and 26 February) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Major General Saif Abdulhadi Alhamlan |
| Insignia | |
| Naval jack | File:Naval Jack of Kuwait.svg |
The Kuwait Navy Force (Arabic: القوة البحرية الكويتية romanized: Al-Quwwat Al-Bahriyah Al-Kuwaitiyah), is the sea-based component of the Kuwait Armed Forces. The headquarters and sole naval base is Mohammed Al-Ahmad Kuwait Naval Base. The Kuwait Naval Force consists of over 2,200 officers and enlisted personnel, excluding about 500 coast guard personnel. The Coast Guard, a Border Security Directorate of the Kuwait Ministry of Interior.[1][2]
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History
[edit | edit source]Kuwait's navy was established in 1961[3] shortly after Britain ended the country's protectorate status following Operation Vantage.
During the Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm, Kuwait's navy was almost completely destroyed.[4][5] At the start of the invasion, the Iraqi Navy captured and sank five Kuwaiti Lürssen TNC-45 type fast attack craft (missile) and one Lürssen FPB-57 type fast attack craft (missile).[6] Kuwait Naval Forces also lost 20 other ships to Iraq during the war.[7]
On 11 November 2008, Kuwait Naval Base was the location of the historic signing of the non-legally binding maritime Khawr Abd Allah Protocols otherwise known as the KAA Protocols. The signing of the KAA Protocols by the then respective heads of the Kuwaiti Naval Force and the Iraqi Navy was the first formal and successful maritime bilateral military agreement for the co-ordinated and de-conflicted use of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway since before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The protocols were developed and mediated by Major David Hammond RM, a British Royal Navy barrister in 2008 and they were subsequently ratified by both the Kuwaiti and Iraqi governments before the 11 November 2008 signing. They were subsequently reported to the US Congress within the December 2008 'Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq' report and the text of which have since become public knowledge following leaks in US diplomatic notes.[8]
Structure and Organization
[edit | edit source]- Kuwait Naval Warships
- Kuwait Marine Corps
- Kuwait Commando Marine Units
Part of the present fleet
[edit | edit source]List of Missile Fast Patrol Boats (MFPB)
[edit | edit source]| Class | Units | Note |
| Istiqlal (German FPB-57) | 1 | 410 tons full load – 4 MM-40 SSM – commissioned 1983 |
| Al Sanbouk (German TNC-45) | 1 | 255 tons full load – 4 MM-40 SSM – commissioned 1984 |
| Um Al Maradim (Combattante P37-BRL) | 8 | 245 tons full load – 4 Sea Skua SSM – commissioned 1998–2000 |
List of Patrol Fighting Vessels
[edit | edit source]| Class | Units | Note |
| Intisar (Australian OPV-310) | 4 | |
| Al-Shaheed (FPB 100K) | 3 | |
| Subahi (FPB 115) | 10 | |
| Kassir Inshore Patrol Craft | 3 | |
| Victory Team (P-46) | 16 | |
| Inshore Patrol Crafts | 50 | |
| Mark V Special Operations Craft | 10 |
List of Amphibious Vessels and Landing Craft
[edit | edit source]| Class | Units | Note |
| Al-Tahaddy LCU | 2 | |
| Safar (Loadmaster) LCU | 1 | |
| LCU (ST Marine) | 1 | |
| Saffar (L 6401) | 2 | 64m landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Sabhan (L 4201) | 1 | 42m landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Sea Keeper | 5 | 16m fast landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Air-cushioned landing craft | 2 |
List of Supply Vessels
[edit | edit source]| Class | Units | Note |
| Sawahil ( Dorrar Support Ship) | 1 | |
| Nautilus (Swiftship 176) SDV | 2 |
Future ships
[edit | edit source]- 1 DSV (Diving Support Vessel)
Landing craft, the procurement programme for the Kuwait Navy included the acquisition of two 64 m landing craft, one 42 m landing craft and five 16 m composite landing craft; all will be built at the Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) facilities in the Mussafah industrial area (UAE) all delivered except one 64 m landing craft to be delivered in 2017.[9]
EDGE has announced the signing of a major AED 9 billion (USD 2.45 billion) defence contract with the Kuwait Ministry of Defence for the supply of 8 FALAJ-3 62-metre missile boats. This contract marks the largest naval shipbuilding export in the region and ranks among the highest-value naval export deals globally.[10]
See also
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ http://www.moi.gov.kw/kcg/ Official Website Sector of the General Department of the Coast Guard, Kuwait Ministry of Interior, (in Arabic)
- ^ Naval forces: over 2,200 people (excluding 500 in coastguard)
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). List of Ships in Kuwait Naval Force History
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).List of Ships in Kuwait Naval Force History
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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References
[edit | edit source]- Article on Kuwaiti Military Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Globalsecurity.org report on the Iraqi navy
- Ships of the Kuwait Navy, past and present
- Um Al Marradim Class description
- Summary of Kuwait military power
- Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
