| Kuwait Naval Force | |
|---|---|
| القوة البحرية الكويتية | |
 | |
| Founded | 1961; 64 years ago (1961) |
| Country |  Kuwait |
| Branch | Military of Kuwait |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 4,000 personnel |
| Part of | Kuwait Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Mohammed Al-Ahmad Kuwait Naval Base |
| Nickname | His Highness Sea Vanguard |
| Mottos | لله والوطن والاميرGod, Country & The Emir |
| Colors | Green & Red |
| Anniversaries | National and Liberation Day (25 and 26 February) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Major General Saif Abdulhadi Alhamlan |
| Insignia | |
| Naval jack |  |
TheKuwait Naval Force (Arabic: القوة البحرية الكويتيةromanized:Al-Quwwat Al-Bahriyah Al-Kuwaitiyah), is the sea-based component of theKuwait Armed Forces. The headquarters and sole naval base isMohammed Al-Ahmad Kuwait Naval Base. The Kuwait Naval Force consists of over 2,200 officers and enlisted personnel, excluding about 500coast guard personnel. The Coast Guard, aBorder Security Directorate of theKuwait Ministry of Interior.[1][2]
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Kuwait's navy was established in 1961[3] shortly after Britain ended the country's protectorate status followingOperation Vantage.
During theInvasion of Kuwait andOperation Desert Storm, Kuwait's navy was almost completely destroyed.[4][5] At the start of the invasion, theIraqi Navy captured and sank five KuwaitiLürssen TNC-45 type fast attack craft (missile) and one Lürssen FPB-57 type fast attack craft (missile).[6] Kuwait Naval Forces also lost 20 other ships to Iraq during the war.[7]
On 11 November 2008, Kuwait Naval Base was the location of the historic signing of the non-legally binding maritimeKhawr Abd Allah Protocols otherwise known as the KAA Protocols. The signing of the KAA Protocols by the then respective heads of the Kuwaiti Naval Force and the Iraqi Navy was the first formal and successful maritime bilateral military agreement for the co-ordinated and de-conflicted use of theKhawr Abd Allah waterway since before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The protocols were developed and mediated by Major David HammondRM, a British Royal Navy barrister in 2008 and they were subsequently ratified by both the Kuwaiti and Iraqi governments before the 11 November 2008 signing. They were subsequently reported to the US Congress within the December 2008 'Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq' report and the text of which have since become public knowledge following leaks in US diplomatic notes.[8]
| Class | Units | Note |
| Istiqlal (German FPB-57) | 1 | 410 tons full load – 4 MM-40 SSM – commissioned 1983 |
| Al Sanbouk (German TNC-45) | 1 | 255 tons full load – 4MM-40SSM – commissioned 1984 |
| Um Al Maradim (Combattante P37-BRL) | 8 | 245 tons full load – 4Sea Skua SSM – commissioned 1998–2000 |
| Class | Units | Note |
| Intisar (Australian OPV-310) | 4 | |
| Al-Shaheed (FPB 100K) | 3 | |
| Subahi (FPB 115) | 10 | |
| Kassir Inshore Patrol Craft | 3 | |
| Victory Team (P-46) | 16 | |
| Inshore Patrol Crafts | 50 | |
| Mark V Special Operations Craft | 10 |
| Class | Units | Note |
| Al-Tahaddy LCU | 2 | |
| Safar (Loadmaster) LCU | 1 | |
| LCU (ST Marine) | 1 | |
| Saffar (L 6401) | 2 | 64m landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Sabhan (L 4201) | 1 | 42m landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Sea Keeper | 5 | 16m fast landing craft built by ADSB in UAE |
| Air-cushioned landing craft | 2 |
| Class | Units | Note |
| Sawahil ( Dorrar Support Ship) | 1 | |
| Nautilus (Swiftship 176) SDV | 2 |
Landing craft, the procurement programme for the Kuwait Navy included the acquisition of two 64 m landing craft, one 42 m landing craft and five 16 m composite landing craft; all will be built at theAbu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) facilities in the Mussafah industrial area (UAE) all delivered except one 64 m landing craft to be delivered in 2017.[9]
EDGE has announced the signing of a major AED 9 billion (USD 2.45 billion) defence contract with the Kuwait Ministry of Defence for the supply of 8 FALAJ-3 62-metre missile boats. This contract marks the largest naval shipbuilding export in the region and ranks among the highest-value naval export deals globally.[10]
