Qatar - Navy
At the time of independence on September 3, 1971, the armed forces consisted of little more than the Royal Guard Regiment and some scattered units equipped with a few armored cars and four aircraft. By 1992 it had grown to a force of 7,500, including a navy of 700. Three French-built La Combattante III missile boats, which entered service in 1983, formed the core of the navy in the 1990s. The boats supplement six older Vosper Thornycroft large patrol boats. A variety of smaller craft are operated by the marine police.
By 2010 Qatar's naval force was comprised of 1800 personnel, which included Marine Police and possess 21 patrol and coastal combatants along with one amphibious craft. Its capabilities include patrolling its coastal waterway, although only for short periods of time, anti-smuggling, and anti-piracy missions, and its primary goal is to maintain the sovereignty of its country. Its operates out of its two naval bases located in Doha and Halul Island and conducts training with other GCC states while being trained at home as well as in France and the UK. While the majority of its naval assets are decades old, it continues to refurbish its antiquated equipment in order to continue to effectively complete its missions.
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