The Military State of Bahrain

Bahrain, militarizing the state
15 September, 2011 – by Activist – Bahrain Youth

Bahrain, home to U.S. Fifth Fleet, is a group of islands with an area of 750 square kilometres and a population of no more than 1.3 million 55% of them are expats.

Bahrain was subjected to the British protection for more than 150 years by the exclusive conventions concluded with Britain in the years 1820, 1847, 1856, 1861, 1880, 1892, resulting in a series of obligations on the Shaikhdom. In return Britain promised to protect Bahrain against external aggression, maintain the autonomy of its entity, political and economic interests, protect the interests of its citizens in the abscess, and oversee its foreign affairs.

Those treaties took effect till 14th of August 1971 when they were ended allowing Bahrain to announce its semi-political independence, when the British military presence was replaced by the U.S.!
In 1968 Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) was founded by an Amiri Decree by Emir Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, where his eldest son Crown Prince Hamad, who had just graduated from The Mons Officer Cadet School, was ready to head the armed forces.

Since then, the Commander in Chief Hamad bin Isa has ensured keeping BDF loyal to the Ruling Family and pursued to keep that military force formed from close tribes and families in addition to mercenaries, where the supreme positions were monopolized by members of the Ruling Family. This intended discrimination prevented the wide majority from being recruited only because they are “Shiites”!
BDF has more than 12,000 personnel, a large number among them are naturalized Bahrainis who were not born in Bahrain.

By law, military personnel are prohibited from joining political parties or campaigns. However, they have to obey orders that direct them to vote to candidates supported by the government. It’s not a choice for them to vote freely or oppose orders.

In general, the military structure is similar to the tribal hierarchy, where orders are issued from the Supreme Commander. This structure guarantees a level of loyalty and obedience that serves the tribal mentality of dealing with people as subjects rather than citizens!
Although Bahrain has a small area, there are lots of military bases, zones, and barracks. Vast areas and most islands are classified as military zones and prohibited areas where nobody is allowed to reach.
Currently, there are 10 Military and Security bodies which are:
1.Royal Bahraini Army
2.Royal Bahraini Air Force
3.Royal Bahraini Navy
4.Royal Guard
5.National Guard
6.National Security Agency
7.Special Security Force Command
8.Public Security Forces
9.Coast Guard
10.Police Community Services

Civilian positions were also affected by military influence. The three main public hospitals are under the control of the army. Five ministers on the current cabinet have a military background; one of them is the Minister of Education:
1.Majid AlNaimi, Minister of Education
2.Basim AlHamar, Minister of Housing
3.Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Military Affairs
4.Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior
5.Abdulaziz AlFadhel, Minister of Shura Council and Representative Council Affairs

Besides the King himself, two of his sons have graduated from Military Colleges, Nasser, who heads the Royal Guard and Khalid. The BDF also sends personnel to the United States for military training, where members of the Royal family are mostly sent to Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.
The government allocated around $1.6 billion annually for defense and security for the current two years 2011-2012, about 20% of current expenditures. This number is more than the allocated budget for education and health which did not exceed 18%.

Even more, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and National Guard are excluded from being audited by the Financial Control Office regarding expenses related to national security and classified as “SECRET”!
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