Page 421 - UAE Truncal States_Neat

Chapter Nine

Dubai Defence Force (DDF) also had a patrol vessel and a small air
wing, and a strength of some 500 men; the Ra’s al Khaimah Mobile
Force and the Sharjah National Guard were oven smaller: the ’Ajman
Defence Force was then still in the making. 1UO
There have been two main phases in the progress towards total
unification of the forces. The first phase was ushered in at the same
time as a number of other gains for the cause of the union which had
resulted from the four-month long crisis over Shaikh Zayid’s threat
not to accept a second term as President. During its meeting on 6
November 1976 the Supreme Council confirmed the intention to unify
the Federation’s forces by abolishing Article 142 of the constitution,
which had permitted the establishment of local forces. The organi­
sation of the forces was changed, achieving greater unification by
creating three commands under the Minister of Defence, Shaikh
Muhammad bin Rashid, and the Deputy Supreme Commander,
Shaikh Khallfah bin Zayid, and a Jordanian Chief of Staff. The forces
wore for the first time the same uniform, but they nevertheless
retained much of their separate identity. In addition to the three
military commands161 there was a fourth: the UDF (formerly TOS),
renamed Al Yarmuk brigade, under the command of Shaikh Humaid
bin 'Abdullah Al Qasimi; it was closely linked to the federal ministry.
The ultimate aim in further unification of the forces was, however, to
break down the four military commands into their components and
to create six brigades, a navy and an air force under one central
command structure with the General Headquarters in the federal
capital. Plans to this effect were finalised during 1977 with the
assistance of a Saudi Arabian military delegation. But misunderstan­
ding over the timing and the form of the announcement of this
reorganisation and the appointment of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayid as
Commander-in-Chief on 3 February 1978 delayed implementation of
the plan. Since then Ra’s al Khaimah’s forces have been fully
integrated into the unified forces, and it is expected that Dubai will
join soon to complete the unification.
The above indicates that the President and others in the federal
government hold the view that almost any step taken to bring about
greater unification and more federal executive power is meritorious,
and that even rash or apparently ill-advised steps to achieve this aim
are better than none at all. The President's generosity, coupled with a
rare gift of persuading the critics to be patient and understanding,
usually softened the impact of the seemingly less attractive aspects

394