Major General Matar bin Salim bin Rashid al Balushi[1][2]
Insignia
Flag of Royal Army of Oman
Military unit
The Royal Army of Oman (Arabic: الجيش العماني, transliterated: al-Jaīsh al-'Umānī) is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison.[3] It has a current strength of 35,000 personnel.[4]
History
Oman has a military history which dates back to the seventh century, when troops from the Alozd tribe were strong enough to help Abu Bakr, companion of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. At the beginning of the seventeenth century there were local forces associated with Ya'ariba dynasty.[5] It was this dynasty, which forced the expulsion of Portuguese from the country in 1650. The Ya'ariba dynasty were responsible for most of the fortified site across what is now the Sultanate of Oman from Musandam in the north to the southern province of Dhofar.
The Royal Army of Oman officially traces its origins back to the formation of the Muscat Garrison in 1907,[6] this local garrison force was developed and became the Muscat Infantry in 1921.[7] An agreement between the Omani and the British governments in 1958 led to the creation of the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) and the creation of formally structured Omani army units. At the same time the United Kingdom promised to provide direct assistance in the development of the SAF and its land forces.[8] During the 1960 and 1970s, army units fought in the Dhofar Rebellion alongside British units and[3] it relied on embedded unit-level British military advisors, who saw combat alongside the units they were very much part of.[9] At the end of the Dhofar Rebellion the Omani army became an independent service known as the Sultan of Oman Land Forces in 1976. In 1990, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said renamed his land forces the Royal Army of Oman (RAO).[10] The RAO frequently exercises with the armed forces of fellow Gulf Cooperation Council nations and other strategic defense partners such as the US and UK.[11]
Ground Forces Organisation
According to the latest MoD Telephone Directory published by Omantel,[12] RAO is structured as follows:
HQ RAO at Muaskar al Murtafa'a (MAM) near Seeb[13][14]
Battle Training Centre - Saiq, Jebel al Akhdhar[26]
Garrison locations
Based on locational evidence given in Omantel telephone directory listings (telephone number associations),[12][27] historical recollections of British servicemen[28] and analysis of Google Earth and Google Map imagery and cartographic data[29] the following RAO garrisons have been identified:
Name
Wilayat
Province
Type
Unit association
Geographic coordinates (lat/long)
Headquarters locations
Muaskar Bayt al Falaj
Bayt al Falaj
Muscat
Headquarters and unit accommodation
Office of the Minister Responsible For Defense Affairs
23.610051N 58.544752E
Muaskar al Murtafa'a
Al Seeb
Muscat
Headquarters and unit accommodation
HQ COSSAF, HQ RAO, HQ 23 Brigade
23.572877N 58.250439E
Umm al Ghawarif Barracks
Salalah
Dhofar
Headquarters and unit accommodation
HQ 11 Brigade and Base Hospital
17.027473N 54.137078E
Haima Barracks
Haima
Al Wusta
Headquarters and unit accommodation
HQ Border Guard Force Brigade and force units
19.998067N 56.358130E
Combat unit locations
Shafa Barracks
Shafa
Al Dakhiliyah
Multiple armoured units and support units
Sultan of Oman's Armour
22.733322N 57.718340E
Izki Barracks
Izki
Al Dakhiliyah
Multiple artillery units and support units
Sultan of Oman's Artillery
22.954081N 57.775505E
Bukha Barracks
Bukha
Musandam
Light infantry unit location
Musandam Security Force
26.144753N 56.143521E
Rustaq Barracks
Rustaq
Al Batinah South
Light infantry unit location
Sultan of Oman's Parachute Regiment
23.411183N 57.429730E
Bidbid Barracks
Bidbid
Al Dakhiliyah
Infantry unit location
Muscat Regiment
23.438529N 58.126797E
Ibri Barracks
Ibri
Al Dhahirah
Infantry unit location
Northern Frontier Regiment
23.241060N 56.512264E
Buraimi Fort and Barracks
Buraimi
Buraimi
Infantry unit location
Northern Frontier Regiment
24.236837N 55.790218E
Al Qabil Barracks
Al Qabil
Buraimi
Light infantry unit location
Western Border Security Force
23.933569N 55.823533E
Nizwa Barracks
Nizwa
Al Dakhiliyah
Infantry unit location
Jebel Regiment
22.917048N 57.537668E
Ibra Barracks
Ibra
Al Sharqiyah North
Infantry unit location
Desert Regiment
22.738625N 58.505236E
Sur Barracks
Sur
Al Sharqiyah South
Light infantry unit location
Coastal Security Force
22.538349N 59.476562E
Bait al Maamoorah Palace Barracks
Salalah
Dhofar
Infantry unit location
Southern Oman Regiment
17.046984N 54.219079E
Raysut Barracks
Salalah
Dhofar
Infantry unit location
Oman Reconnaissance Regiment
16.946844N 53.995651E
Thumrait Barracks
Thumrait
Dhofar
Infantry unit location
Western Frontier Regiment
17.642156N 54.020499E
Mayzunah Barracks
Mayzunah
Dhofar
Infantry unit location
Western Frontier Regiment
17.856471N 52.692569E
Sarfayt Base
Sarfayt
Dhofar
Infantry unit location
Southern Border Security Force
16.697399N 53.103528E
Support unit locations
Mabela Camp
Al Seeb
Muscat
Transport unit accommodation
Sultan's Armed Forces Transport Regiment
23.666388N 58.140895E
Armed Forces Hospital
Al Khoudh
Muscat
Base Hospital
Sultan's Armed Forces Medical Services
23.574647N 58.207412E
Training locations
National Defense College
Bayt al Falaj
Muscat
Higher Defense Staff College
SAF training site
23.607289N 58.543684E
Aydem Camp
Aydem
Dhofar
Sultan Qaboos Military College
Officer and NCO Training Academy
16.990236N 53.358888E
Saiq Camp
Saiq, Jebel Akhdar
Al Dakhiliyah
Infantry training Area
RAO training site
23.074098N 57.639172E
Military Technical College
Seeb
Muscat
Military College
SAF training site
23.568452N 58.278716E
Cultural and welfare locations
Armed Forces Museum
Bayt al Falaj
Muscat
Historic site and display of military artifacts
Defense Museum
23.608479N 58.545949E
Armed Forces Beach Club
Seeb
Muscat
Restaurants, vacation accommodation and function rooms
SAF Welfare
23.605869N 58.330261E
Equipment
In 2020 Oman spent 11% of GDP on military expenditures.[30]
Oman looks to acquire K2 main battle tanks from South Korea. South Korean Defense Company Hyundai Rotem Co. could sell 76 K2 Black Panther Main Battle Tanks to Oman, a deal that could reach an amount up to $884.6 million.