Sultan of Oman's Armed Fo, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman, Royal Jordanian Army, Royal Bhutan Army
The Royal Army of Oman is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison. It has a current strength of 25,000 personnel.
Oman has a military history which dates back to the seventh century, when troops from the Alozd tribe were strong enough to help Abu Bakr, companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century it was lifting force of the second well-known Omani forces Ya'ariba dynasty during the reign of the family, which forced the expulsion of Portuguese from the country in 1650. And Ya'ariba dynasty during the reign of the family dynasty, covered fortified buildings north of the country from Musandam to the south of the province of Dhofar.
The Royal Army of Oman officially traces its origins back to the formation of the Muscat Garrison in 1907. The garrison was expanded and became the Muscat Infantry in 1921. During the 1960s, it fought in the Dhofar Rebellion alongside British units. The Army became an independent service known as the Sultan of Oman Land Forces in 1976. In 1990, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said renamed the branch the Royal Army of Oman.
Field organization
One divisional HQ
Two brigade HQ (Northern Brigade, Southern Brigade) with a 3rd in the process of being established for Border Security
Armour
Two Armoured Regiments (battalion-sized, one with Challenger 2, one with M60A3)
Armoured Car Regiment (battalion)
Infantry
Mechanized Regiment (one battalion)
Muscat Regiment (one battalion)
Northern Frontier Regiment (one battalion)
Desert Regiment (one battalion)
Jebel Regiment (one battalion)
Southern Regiment (two battalions, composed of Baluchi personnel)
Artillery
Four Artillery Regiments (battalions)
SAF Signals
SAF Engineers
SAF Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
Equipment
In 2008 Oman spent 7.7% of GDP on military expenditures.
Oman has one armored brigade equipped with the Challenger 2 and the M60A1 and M60A3 Patton tanks.
Oman recently received 174 amphibious light armored vehicles and more than 80 armored VBL from France.
Oman has one of the world's largest arsenals of Scud missiles, estimated at more than 30,000 ballistic missiles.
In May 2013 the United States announced a deal with Oman valued at $ 2.1 billion to supply a ground-based air defense system.
