Yemeni Armed Forces
combined military forces of Yemen
The Yemeni Armed Forces (Arabic: الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الْيَّمَّنِيَّة, romanized: al-Qūwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Yamaniyya) are the military forces of the Republic of Yemen. They include the Yemeni Army (including the Republican Guard), Yemeni Navy (including the Marines) and the Yemeni Air Force (including the Air Defense Force) and the Strategic Reserve Forces & Unmanned Aviation Forces.
Since the start of the current civil war in 2014, the armed forces have been divided; at first between loyalists of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and pro-Yemeni government forces of president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi; as of 2025, between the internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), and the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council (SPC). Per the constitution, the President of Yemen serves as the commander-in-chief. Currently, the presidency and supreme command of the armed forces is disputed between Rashad al-Alimi, Chairman of the PLC, and Mahdi al-Mashat, chairman of the SPC. Before the civil war, the united military was headquartered in the country's capital, Sanaa.
Already before 2014, the number of military personnel in Yemen was relatively high; in sum, Yemen had the second largest military force on the Arabian Peninsula after Saudi Arabia. In 2012, total active troops were estimated as follows: army, 66,700; navy, 7,000; and air force, 5,000. In September 2007, the government announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service. Yemen's defense budget, which in 2006 represented approximately 40 percent of the total government budget, is expected to remain high for the near term, as the military draft takes effect and internal security threats continue to escalate.
History
Early beginnings
The origins of the modern-day Yemeni military can be traced back to the late 19th century when Turkish Ottomans began recruiting tribal levies to create four battalions of gendarmerie and three cavalry regiments.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Yemeni Armed Forces” is combined military forces of Yemen. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Yemeni, Armed and Forces, not as a finished interpretation.
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