Unit Name: | Kuwait National Guard |
Native Name: | Arabic: الحرس الوطني الكويتي |
Country: | Kuwait |
Type: | Paramilitary Gendarmerie Reserve army Border guard |
Role: | Expeditionary warfare Special operations Special reconnaissance Counterterrorism Border control |
Size: | Approx. 70,000 personnel |
Command Structure: | Kuwait Armed Forces |
Garrison: | Kuwait |
Nickname: | His Highness Elite |
Motto: | الله والوطن والامير God, Country & The Emir |
Colors: | Green & Yellow |
Battles: | |
Anniversaries: | National and Liberation Day (25 and 26 February) |
Current Commander: | Vacant |
Current Commander Label: | His Highness National Guard Commander |
The Kuwait National Guard (KNG) (Arabic: الحرس الوطني الكويتي) is a paramilitary and gendarmerie branch of the Kuwait Armed Forces.[1] The National Guard is an independent combat institution and traces its heritage directly to the cavalrymen and infantrymen that defended Kuwait's three mounted defensive walls.[2] [3] Since its inception, the Kuwait National Guard under the guidance of the respective leadership; executed, participated in, and supported carrying out all conflicts in which the Kuwait Armed Forces have engaged since 1967.
The founding of the Kuwait National Guard was first conceived during the Six-Day War and following the outcomes of Operation Vantage when Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah[4] was the Crown Prince of Kuwait through the 2nd decree of 1967 on June 6 during the reign of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah. A mission for this purpose was led by Sheikh Salem Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah,[5] who was the driving force in forming the various task forces within the National Guard and who has remained at the head of the institution since its enacting in 1967.[6] [7]
Name | Title | Tenure | Note | Picture | |
1 | Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah[8] | His Highness Commander of Kuwait National Guard | 1967–2024 | Most senior serving member and Chieftain dean of the House of Sabah | |
Name | Rank | Tenure | Note | Picture | ||
1 | Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah[9] [10] | Deputy National Guard Commander | 1994–2003 | The Crown Prince of Kuwait (2006–2020) The Emir of Kuwait (2020–2023) | ||
2 | Deputy National Guard Commander | 2004–2020 | The Crown Prince of Kuwait (2020–2023)[11] Emir of Kuwait (2023–present) | center|frameless|180px | ||
3 | Deputy National Guard Commander | 2020–2022 | Prime Minister of Kuwait (2022–2023) | |||
4 | Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | Deputy National Guard Commander[12] | 2022–present | Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior (2021–2022) |
In June 2017, the Kuwait National Guard commemorated their 50th Anniversary Golden jubilee under the leadership of the Commander-in-chief, the Emir of Kuwait, and directives of Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah.
Name | Type | Quantity | Country of origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 150 | 70 in 6 versions.some with 90mm cockerill turret First entered service 1997 (produced by AV Technology)80 Pandur II with a 25mm Bushmaster turret | ||
Desert Chameleon | Armoured Personnel Carrier | 20 | 6×6 APC with 30 mm cannon. First entered service 2011 | |
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 8 | Kuwait owns the advanced version (Condor II) | ||
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 22 | 22 in 5 versions (APC, CPV, ambulance, crowd control and mortar carrier) | ||
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 97 | |||
Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle | 2,300 | Vehicles sold via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. | ||
Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle | 3,000 | 1,000 Sherpas sold to Kuwait National Guard in 2015 Sherpa Scouts sold to the Kuwaiti military in 2016 under a €270 m contract. | ||