Hail the BDF – our advocate for peace

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Why would a peace-advocating country like Bahrain have a defense force? That is like asking why a body-builder has clothes in his wardrobe. You can build muscle but there will be times when you have to protect your body from the elements or occasions which demand that you are dressed in more than figure-hugging shorts!

Similarly, Bahrain has always advocated dialogue and democracy as the way forward but keeping a ready defense force that is well-trained and equipped to defend the nation is a duty. It underscores that Bahrain takes peace seriously and that the men and women of the BDF will lay their life down for their beloved nation and the values which it espouses.

The world today is a complex tangle of political and economic interests. To cut through the noise, countries use diplomacy as well as force. When the men and women of the BDF step out the fight for us, they are not just engaging in skirmishes with the so-called “enemy”. They are defending our values and our right to peace and progress.

Today we celebrate BDF Day and honour our soldiers – those who keep our borders on land, air and sea safe and those who have fallen while valiantly defending our freedom. Our leadership in their wisdom, have always ensured that our BDF is well-armed and taken care of. Since 2002, Bahrain has been designated a major Non-NATO Ally, which provides a number of benefits reserved to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and allied nations, including potential participation in cooperative research and development.

But an effective armed forces is not just about state-of-the-art equipment and discipline. It is about the people understanding concepts of loyalty, patriotism and adding these values to the courage and discipline of their profession. And my heart swells with pride at the powerful values of our BDF personnel. Today, the BDF is being called upon to engage in border security, maritime security, military preparedness, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism.

In recent years, as Bahrain was called upon to protect the region from the scourge of piracy and anti-regional skirmishes, we have also seen some martyrs who laid their lives down for us all. I take this opportunity to bow to their memory.

The BDF is our key to a stable, secure, and prosperous Bahrain and Middle East. Going forward, I am sure that the BDF will acquit itself powerfully in a new age military with AI and robotic warfare with the same zeal and patriotic fervour as always.

(Captain Mahmood Al Mahmood is the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Tribune and the President of the Arab-African Unity Organisation for Relief, Human Rights and Counterterrorism)