The model was introduced in 2012 to transform procurement into a joint approach to logistics to better support operations and training, said Matthew Hedges, an analyst with the Institute of Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

According to the director of the programme at UAE Armed Forces General Headquarters, Navy Col. Yahya Al Hammadi, until 2012 the three branches separately handled processes such as procurement, inventory and human resources.

"We'd like the commanders to have time to concentrate on strategy and policy planning," Al Hammadi said last year as the system was being launched. "So we are involved in this plan for the armed forces to communicate effectively and quickly through an integrated IT and logistics system."

The UAE understands that any operation at home or overseas is a joint effort and part of a larger coalition, Hedges said, and thus "the provision of logistics needs to be both joint and coordinated. It should also be highlighted that the UAE joins a larger list of nations who are subscribing to a joint logistics model."

Al Hammadi said the system would be fully introduced across UAE forces by next year.

Public-private partnerships are a big part of this programme. In November, the Armed Forces General Headquarters appointed the Abu Dhabi-based Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center (AMMROC) to ensure the operational readiness of the forces' fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Read Full Article