With 'weak' military potential, how can Qatar deal with war?

In the context of escalating regional crisis, what should Qatar do to deal with external threats when its defense potential is weak and depends mainly on military cooperation with the US?

Leopard tanks of the Qatari army during a parade in Doha. Photo: Sputnik.

"Weak" military potential, dependent on the US

Ranked among the top countries in the world in terms of oil and gas reserves, while its entire territory is only the size of Connecticut, USA (about 3 times larger than Hanoi), Qatar is famous as a “paradise” on earth with GDP per capita ranking first in the world in 2016, at 155,000 USD (about 3.5 billion VND) and high quality of service and quality of life.

However, the military strength of this Gulf country is very weak, mainly depending on its cooperation with the US.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has approved a bill allowing the deployment of thousands of troops to Qatar, as the small Middle Eastern country struggles with the Middle East's biggest diplomatic crisis in years.

According to statistics from Global Fire Power, the number of Qatar's armed forces is about 12,000 people, equivalent to a division, and there are no reserves.

Not only that, the equipment was very poor with 92 tanks, 464 self-propelled howitzers, 24 towed howitzers, 12 multiple rocket launcher systems, 21 multi-barreled missile systems, and several hundred armored vehicles of various types.

The air force's equipment is equally meager: about 98 interceptors, 9 attack aircraft, 15 transport aircraft, 53 trainer aircraft, 28 helicopters, 43 attack helicopters. Of these, the Mirage-2000, built by France in the 1970s, is the most modern fighter.

Doha ordered 18 modern Rafale multi-role fighters from France and 36 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters from the US, but these fighters have not yet been delivered.

With these statistics, Qatar ranks 90th out of 126 countries in Global Fire Power's overall military power ranking.

About 11,000 US troops at Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.

Qatar's military might is weak, but since Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani came to power in 1995, it has enjoyed unprecedented levels of security.

The secret is that the King of Qatar agreed to let the US establish a military headquarters on the outskirts of the capital Doha, Al-Udeid Air Base - the largest US military base in the Middle East, where the Central Command headquarters and logistics facilities of the US military are located.

Together with the Defense Agreement signed in 2013, Al-Udeid base becomes a solid “shield” for Doha against external threats.

What to do in a crisis?

Qatar is in an unprecedented crisis after a series of Arab and Gulf countries announced the severance of diplomatic relations on June 5.

Shortly thereafter, the Qatari military was placed on the highest alert. An anonymous US official revealed to CNN that on June 5, the Qatari Ministry of Defense sent a warning to the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, saying it would sink any warships from these countries that entered its territorial waters.

The richest in the world, but Qatar's army is only equivalent to 1 division

Although Qatar is the richest country in the world (according to Global Finance Magazine), its military is small, with about 12,000 soldiers and little combat equipment, largely dependent on security cooperation with the United States.

Although the US affirmed its alliance and said that its operations at the Al-Udeid base were not interrupted by the crisis, Qatar still had to be cautious because, after all, the US was the underlying reason why the Arab world "turned its back" on Doha.

Even Syrian military expert, retired Major General Muhammed Abbas, predicted that a coup would happen in Qatar and that it was America's trick to dominate the Middle East.

In that context, the Turkish Parliament has passed a bill allowing the deployment of troops to its garrison base in Qatar, showing support for the Gulf country amid its isolation, according to Middle East Eyes.

Turkish Ambassador to Qatar Ahmet Demirok revealed that at least 3,000 soldiers will be deployed to Qatar. It is known that Türkiye established a military base in Qatar in 2014, under an agreement between the two countries.

Besides, although being "boycotted" partly due to its relationship with Iran, with the current situation, cooperation with this country is considered a temporary solution for Qatar.

“… This could be an opportunity for Iran to build better relations with the Qatari government because both are isolated by their southern, eastern and western neighbors. The only door left for them is to the north, where Iran is,” said Foad Izadi, a political analyst in Tehran.

According to Global Fire Power, CNN, Middle East Eyes