Armed Forces unification is not an easy task: VP

The structure of the UAE federation would have not been completed without a common defence policy under the command of a united national army, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum affirmed today.

'This was not an easy task as in most contemporary unitary models the job of unification of several armies into one army was the toughest mission. The costs were heavy but our founding fathers overcame this hardship with their wisdom.

They took the unification process step by step until they built a strong army that became the shield of the nation and defender of its sovereignty, independence and its gains and deter all adventurers and plotters,' Sheikh Mohammed said in an a statement to Dira' Al Watan Magazine on the occasion of 34th anniversary of the Armed Forces Unification Day which falls on 6th May.

'The 6th of May 1976 will remain a bright day in our life, and will be cherished in our history, consciousness and national memory. Sheikh Mohammed said, describing as an epic the building and transformation of the armed forces from small, scattered and primitively armed units into a national army having a common defence doctrine, one command, and one flag.

The Vice President said that he had the honour to see over the last 34 years the evolution of the armed forces and how the dream turned into a reality and how the seed grew into a big tree with bumper fruits.

Sheikh Mohammed called on the armed forces officers and personnel to maintain their firm faith, high morale and good attributes and to turn enthusiastically to training, developing their capacities and sharpen their knowledge to keep abreast of the modern age.

Sheikh Mohammed renewed allegiance to President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and paid tribute to him for his unstinted care and support for advancement of the armed forces to become one of the most competent and sophisticated armies in the region and the world at large.

Sheikh Mohammed also congratulated Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates and paid special credit to H.H. Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who dedicated himself to the development, armament and modernisation of the armed forces.

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