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| Arabia |
| Under Restructuring of Yemen Army: Defense Minister Can Be Civilian, Official |
| 2012-12-21 |
| [Yemen Post] Head of the presidency office, Nasr Taha Mustafa, has said the restructuring of the Yemeni armed forces meant the defense minister can be a military commander a civilian competent official. "The decrees to restructure the army which were issued by President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi on Wednesday included the possibility that a civilian can be selected as the defense minister," Mustafa said on his facebook page. "Such a policy just comes like other democratic states do," he said, adding the minister will have four assistants. The restructuring also requires one deputy for the chief of staff who will be responsible for all military units except the presidency protection and missile forces that shall be under the commander-in-chief, Mustafa continued. According to the decrees, the Yemeni army was divided into the ground, marine, air and border forces and new units such as the special operations and the missile forces have been added to the structure of the Yemeni forces. The elite republican guard and the first armored division are no longer exist in the army. Hadi fired key military and security chiefs loyal to the former president including the elder son of the former president Ahmed Saleh who was the commander of the elite elite republican guard. There have been no reaction from anybody, but analysts said silence never means military commanders, especially relatives and loyalists of the former president, will not try to resist the decrees. |
| Posted by:Fred |