In the process of building the historical state of the United Arab Emirates since the second of December in 1971, there are remarkable stations among which is the sixth of May 1976, when it was decided by the will of the seven emirates of the state that the armed forces be unified, and the hearts of the founding fathers united around the fact that the federal structure will not be complete except with the unity of wills behind the unified armed forces that maintain the security of one people and one nation and raise one banner, which makes this station one of the most important and prominent stations in the historical and institutional development of the State of the Union.
Over the years, our armed forces have shifted from dispersed military units and troops to an advanced federal military force that enjoys a high degree of competitiveness and operational and combat readiness. In addition, they have proved to be an ambassador for the authentic values of the United Arab Emirates through humanitarian relief tasks, in which they took part, starting from Kosovo and Somalia, Lebanon and Afghanistan, where the performance of our troops in those missions reflected the authentic values and principles of the United Arab Emirates, and provided a civilized image of the UAE and its people.
As for the performance of the heroes of our armed forces in Yemen, it deserves, from all of us, as Emiratis, greetings and appreciation, as the men were up to the expectations, and defended with chivalry and honor the pride of a wounded nation and an authentic people that appealed to them for rescue and they rescued it. This is the era of the sons of Zayed the good and generous great man. They were and still are, the best support to all those who undergo misfortunes and calamities. Our armed forces were part of the Arab coalition forces that defended brotherly Yemen against the wrong doing of a group that engaged in the evil alliance between the Houthi group and the militia of the ousted Ali Andullah Saleh. And our armed forces also stood heroically in Yemen against the terrorism of “Al Qaida”, and they took the city of Al Mukalla from the hands of this obnoxious organization, a city that remained under the control of the terrorism group for a whole year, and that the terrorist organization turned into a den for terrorism.
In the same way that the land of the Emirates is a source of noble values, goodness and generosity, our armed forces are a factory that produces real men, who are a source of pride to their people and their Arab nation. Those are men who pledged to Allah that they would defend the Arab national security against any criminal transgressor, so they have always been up to the expectations, and they wrote with their own blood epics of victory in Yemen’s plains and mountains, and the sacrifices of the Emirates’ martyrs were the best witness on the strong kinship ties that link the two brotherly peoples in the Emirates and Yemen, ties that were translated through the sacrifices of the martyrs and the heroic acts of brave men in the defense of that ancient Arab country and its authentic people.
Our armed forces are a symbol of our pride and dignity, and they are a crown on our heads. They have always been, and will remain, God willing, a symbol of truth and of the defense of justice and the values of civilized humanity. Their qualitative development regarding their use of the latest weapons in the world, and their advanced combat scientific training was only an improvement to our developmental process and a way to maintain the gains and interests of our people and our national security. The Emirates have always been a state that values security, peace and stability, calling for high and noble humanitarian values and principles. Our valiant armed forces are a power that provides security and stability, defends truth and supports the oppressed. It is also a power that comes to the rescue of those in need and protects human values. I cannot forget the scene of our heroes from the armed forces when they were providing humanitarian care in many affected areas in different conditions and environments without any discrimination on the basis of color, religion, sex or race.
Our armed forces are also a smelter of national energies, as the Emirati women participated in this deep rooted institutional structure, and contributed their efforts in it. They were even good supporters to their brothers, the men, in the armed forces, in a wonderful reflection of our unique developmental experience that gives women a full integrated role out of the high vision of our wise leadership, planted by the late his Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, God rest his soul, and pursued by his Highness Sheikh Khalifa Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. It is a vision that is also supported by Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the Women’s Union, top President of the Family Development Foundation, and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (mother of the Emirates), who provided lots and lots of services in order to consolidate the march of Emirati women and their national role in the process of development in various sectors and areas.
We are proud of these heroes and we renew our pledge by standing all of us by their side in their noble national mission. They are the protectors of the homeland, and our participation with them is really an honor for all of us in these difficult regional circumstances described by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God protect him, in his speech on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the unification of the armed forces as “conflicts, wars and unrest resulting from the growing of terrorism movements and foreign interventions our region witnesses, and the destruction and devastation they cause.”
Our armed forces will always be, God willing, our impenetrable fortress and robust shield in the face of the forces of evil, injustice and aggression, and in the face of the conspiracies of haters and lurking enemies, and we will remain one heart, deeply feeling our belonging to the homeland and our loyalty and devotion to the wise leadership, as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said, may God protect him.
The fortieth anniversary of the unification of our armed forces has come, and we “stand on solid ground, looking forward to the future with hope and confidence,” thanks to the efficiency and worthiness of our valiant armed forces and their ability to achieve victory in the fair battles against the forces of oppression and evil and terrorism, as was said by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the armed forces, may God protect him. Therefore, we have to take pride in our heroes and our martyrs, and to tell our children and grandchildren their stories, and to shape the perceptions of the future generation in line with the magnitude of these sacrifices and heroic acts and the blood that was shed so that our present be more secure and our tomorrow be more stable and brighter, God willing. All the glory to the martyrs and all greetings and thanks and recognition to the heroes of our armed forces.
