Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain (مملكة البحرين) is an island nation in the Persian Gulf. In antiquity, the island was known as Mishmahig, when it was incorporated into the Persian Empire between the 6th and 3rd centuries BCE. Most of the island's inhabitants were converted to Islam in the 6th century CE. In 1521, Portugal siezed control of the island during an invasion and ruled it for nearly a century under the administration of Persian governors. In 1602, the Europeans were expelled by Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, who instituted Shi'a Islam as the state religion. Bahrain has maintained strong relations to Great Britain since the early 19th century.

The Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) consists of the Royal Bahrain Army, Royal Bahrain Air Force, Royal Bahrain Navy and the Royal Bahrain Medical Services. There are approximately 9,000 active duty military personnel in the BDF, as well as the public security forces and the Coast Guard that report to the Ministry of Interior.

Bahrain Camouflage Patterns

• A four-color spot pattern was produced in the UK for Bahrain in the 1970s, incorporating dark brown, olive green & dark green spots on a khaki background. The style of smock is copied from the British 1960 pattern. Due to the heavy weight nature of the smock, it has been theorized this pattern was intended for winter issue.

• A variation of the spot pattern was also produced using five-colors - dark brown, ochre, olive green & dark green on a khaki background. The style of smock was the same. It is unknown when these patterns were phased out of usage, but they may have been worn well into the 1980s.

• It is apparent from photographs that the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) also worn British DPM camouflage at one point in the 1970s, and possibly into the 1980s as well.

• As did many Arab nations of Western Asia, Bahrain adopted a version of the British-designed four-color desert DPM in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The pattern of the BDF incorporates light brown, beige, and olive green disruptive shapes on a sandy background, with some variation among production runs.

• Also currently in service with the Bahrain Navy is a copy of the sparse British two-color desert DPM pattern.

• Certainly the most unique of the patterns of the BDF is the tiger stripe pattern of the Special Forces. This pattern features black, dark brown & light brown stripes on tan background.

• Bahrain Security Forces currently wear a variation of the four-color blue or urban DPM pattern, incorporating black, dark blue & blue-grey disruptive shapes on a pale blue background.