Qatar Will Emerge From Saudi-Led Blockade With A More Powerful Military Than Ever

[Boats]

Qatar Will Emerge From Saudi-Led Blockade With A More Powerful Military Than Ever
By: Paul Iddon - Aerospace & Defense & Forbes News - 12-22-20
Re: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulidd...h=37ac68f01ded

When the Saudi-led economic blockade against it ends, which could be soon, the tiny nation of Qatar will emerge with a much larger and more sophisticated military arsenal.

On Dec. 4, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said there has been “significant progress” in negotiations, and that he is “somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalizing an agreement between all nations in the dispute.”

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia imposed an extensive blockade against its much smaller neighbor, issuing a list of wide-ranging demands. Had Qatar acquiesced, it would undoubtedly have become little more than a vassal state to its much more powerful neighbors.

Photo link: https://specials-images.forbesimg.co....jpg?fit=scale
DOHA, Dec. 11, 2020 -- Qatari soldiers participate in a military parade rehearsal for the Qatar's ... [+] XINHUA NEWS AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES

Moreover, Saudi Arabia and its powerful ally the United Arab Emirates were secretly planning to outright invade Qatar to force it to heel. Only diplomatic pressure from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson compelled Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to abandon that plan.

Had they done so, Qatar’s tiny military would not likely have been able to resist long. As pointed out at the time, the tiny nation’s air force only had 12 French-built Dassault Mirage 2000s jet fighters backed by six Alpha light attack/trainers. Such an air force wouldn’t have stood a chance against the larger fleets of advanced F-15 and F-16s flown by the Saudis and Emiratis.

MORE FOR YOU
Why A Remote-Controlled Machine Gun Was The Perfect Weapon For Assassinating Iranian Nuclear Scientist
The Russians Have Spent 40 Years Preparing For Undersea Slaughter—The U.S. Navy Built A Submarine To Stop It
The U.S. Air Force’s Secret Spy Drone Makes Public Debut—On Instagram
On the ground, Doha’s tiny fleet of 30 aged French-built AMX-30 tanks would similarly have become hopelessly outgunned by bigger more advanced and plentiful U.S.-built Saudi M1 Abrams and French-built Emirati Leclerc main battle tanks. At most, Doha could have mustered a few thousand troops in short notice for what would likely have been a futile resistance effort. Given that far greater preponderance of force on the side of its neighbors, it wouldn’t be a stretch to presume Qatar would have suffered a similar military defeat to that of Kuwait when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq infamously invaded and annexed it in August 1990.

Instead, those Gulf heavyweights settled for squeezing Qatar through their extensive economic boycott in hopes of coercing concessions. Those efforts failed. Almost immediately after the blockade began Iran and Turkey threw Qatar an economic lifeline, enabling it to circumvent the embargo. Turkey also increased its troop presence in the country. Economically, the small state withstood the effects of the harsh blockade more efficiently than many might have previously expected.

Doha has also made strides in transforming its military to an extent that it will most likely emerge from this episode with an exceptionally large and advanced military arsenal for such a tiny peninsular state.

2nd photo link: https://specials-images.forbesimg.co....jpg?fit=scale
French-made Rafale fighter aircraft of the Qatar Air Force perform during a military parade to mark ... [+] AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Qatar recently demonstrated how its military is rapidly growing by carrying out an elephant walk in which its newly delivered French-built 4.5-generation Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jets, along with C-17 and C-130 transport planes and AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships, participated.

However, even that formidable show of force and organization is only an early demonstration of the vast quantities of advanced military aircraft Qatar will soon begin introducing into its exponentially growing armed forces.

Doha’s extensive orders of advanced fighter jets will significantly alter the balance of air power over the Persian Gulf and could even pose a challenge to the powerful Saudi and Emirati air forces if tensions flare up again.

In the near future, Qatar will take delivery of 36 F-15QA (Qatar Advanced) fighters, the most advanced variant of that deadly jet ever built. Similar to the Saudi F-15SAs, they will be able to, among other things, carry as many as 12 AIM-120 AMRAAM long-range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles.

Doha has also, as that elephant walk has shown, began taking delivery of the 36 Rafale jet it bought, which are more advanced than its Mirage 2000s. It has the option of buying an additional 36 if it chooses.

Qatar has also bought 24 Eurofighter Typhoons for £6 billion (roughly $8 billion) from the United Kingdom.

Consequently, Doha will soon possess a whopping 96 advanced 4.5-generation fighters.

On the ground, its armored forces are also being considerably strengthened with a new fleet of 62 Leopard 2A7+ main battle tanks Qatar ordered from Germany back in 2013. The 2A7+ version of the Leopard tank is designed for combat in urban areas. Consequently, these tanks could prove well-suited for defending the Qatari capital from any potential ground invasion.

While all these acquisitions will undoubtedly enhance and strengthen its military, Qatar will likely find it quite challenging to gather the skilled manpower it will need to adequately maintain and operate all this hardware.

Even though it made military service for young males mandatory back in 2013, Qatar’s native population is less than 400,000, meaning it will probably have to rely substantially upon more skilled foreign contractors, technicians and possibly even pilots to get the most out of these vast procurements.

As the richest country in the world, Qatar can certainly afford to do so, but it’s always preferable and ultimately more reliable to have a military run primarily by a country’s own citizens.

About this writer: POaul Iddon is a journalist/columnist who writes about Middle East military and political affairs.