UAE | Government
UAE pursued daring plans to modernise forces says Mohammad Bin Zayed
The decision to unify the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates was never a transient event or routine procedure, but a historic juncture in the march of the Armed Forces toward self fulfillment and performance and competence upgrading, said General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
- WAM
- Published: 15:11 May 5, 2008
Abu Dhabi: The decision to unify the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates was never a transient event or routine procedure, but a historic juncture in the march of the Armed Forces toward self fulfillment and performance and competence upgrading, said General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE pursued "daring plans and ambitious programmes to modernise, develop and supply our forces with the latest weapons and equipment, expand the base of national cadres capable of accommodating advanced military technology until our military formations have become an effective force and an indispensable number in the regional and international security, peace and stability equation." Shaikh Mohammad made his remarks in a speech carried by Dira' Al Watan (Shield of the Nation) magazine on the 32nd Anniversary of the Unification of the Armed Forces.
"The on-going regional developments and world transformations testify the validity of the criteria on which the UAE defensive military strategy was based. High on top on the agenda of this strategy are self dependency, optimal utilisation of available resources, and a clear-cut leading role for the citizen," he said.
Full text of the Shaikh Mohammad's speech:
"May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you. It is my pleasure to join you in the celebrations of the 32nd anniversary of the unification of our Armed Forces. May 6, 1976, marks the true birth of our Armed Forces and embodies the will and determination of the late father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May his soul rest in peace) to build a national army truly capable of defending UAE security and stability, and maintaining national rights and achievements.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, the decision to unify the armed forces was never a transient event or routine procedure, but a historic juncture in the march of the Armed Forces toward self fulfillment and performance and competence upgrading whereby daring plans and ambitious programmes were pursued to modernise, develop and supply our forces with the latest weapons and equipment, expand the base of national cadres capable of accommodating advanced military technology until our military formations have become an effective force and an indispensable number in the regional and international security, peace and stability equation.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, the building process of our modern Armed Forces is based on a full-integrated strategic plan taking into account the inevitable co-relationship between building military force and supporting areas of development, which best guarantee the balance between comprehensive evolution on the one hand and sustainable development, welfare and prosperity on the other.
"This strategy maintains organic interaction with and centrally linked to GCC and Arab security as well as international peace and security in the broadest sense of the word.
"The on-going regional developments and world transformations testify the validity of the criteria on which the UAE defensive military strategy was based. High on the agenda of this strategy are self dependency, optimal utilisation of available resources and a clear-cut leading role for the citizen.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, the tremendous achievements of the Armed Forces are highly appreciated and recognised by of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan who followed up this march day by day, devising plans and giving directives to build a force equal to modern world armies.
"The Armed Forces are also a source of pride and appreciation to all of us. Although the accomplishments so far achieved have gone far beyond all calculations and expectations, our ambitions for the Armed Forces to rise up to the expectations of our citizens and wise leadership require relentless efforts to continue the process of building and modernisation, boosting defensive capabilities, upgrade degree of preparedness, fighting efficiency, ability to accommodate the latest world technology in information technology and acquire more experience.
"Putting our Armed Forces on equal footing with advanced armies is a deeply-rooted strategic goal for the supreme command and all military personnel. Following up the GHQ's efforts to build, develop and upgrade our Armed Forces we highly appreciate their keenness to cope with accelerated development in military fields, make available necessary resources for on-going development and modernisation plans, accommodate new advancements in military technology, organise training courses and conduct military exercises with brotherly and friendly countries for better skills and more experience.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, we will pursue our efforts to make quality steps and administrative and organisational changes in the Armed Forces. We are keen to make periodic review of our military strategy as to cope with the latest developments and achieve our wise leadership goals in strengthening the security, stability and prosperity of our homeland.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, our keenness to provide the Armed Forces with the latest weapons and equipments does not, in any way, signify any change in or deviation from our peace-oriented trends. Rather, it reflects a wish to play an outstanding role in maintaining regional and Arab security, and make, under the UN umbrella, a tangible contribution to international peace and security.
"Officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, we feel extremely happy seeing successive generations of UAE citizens participate seriously and dedicatedly in carrying the responsibility of national action in all fields, and are proud of their excellence in accommodating and handling top-of-the-art weaponry. We are proud that our military cadres have become more aware of present-day challenges, and more able and determined to meet these challenges.
"On this occasion, I call on military personnel to pursue advanced academic knowledge of technological weapons and equipment and acquire more experience, as true excellence is measured, not solely by obtaining advanced weaponry and equipment but also by the ability to accommodate and add a creative touch in using them.
"Celebrating the 32nd anniversary of the unification of the Armed Forces we feel deeply indebted and grateful to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who spared no time, effort, money or guidelines to develop and upgrade our Armed Forces.
"We are also grateful to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his pioneer role in implementing unification plans of the Armed Forces until reaching this stage of development and welfare.
"Heartfelt congratulations are extended to Their Highnesses Rulers of the Emirates and Members of the Supreme Council and military personnel of all ranks. We hereby renew our allegiance to our Supreme Commander and our compliance with his directives, hoping to set an example for faith in Almighty God, allegiance to our homeland, total awareness of the Armed Forces' mission and role, and full understanding of tomorrow's responsibilities and requirements.
"We pray the Almighty God to protect our Supreme Commander President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to realise national aspirations toward more glory, progress and prosperity."
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