The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the UAE Armed Forces has announced the extension of legal term of the national service from 12 months to 16 months for male UAE nationals that hold a high secondary school certificate and above.

The UAE first announced it would introduce military service in January 2014, then in June of that year, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has enacted a law requiring mandatory military service for all UAE nationals aged between 18 and 30.

The UAE military has been actively involved in operations in Yemen since 2015.