Military district (Arab Union)

The Union Defence Forces (UDF), the armed forces of the Arab Union, organise their domestic operations and areas of responsibility by a system of geographical administrative divisions, each unit of which is called a military district (Arabic: منطقة عسكرية minṭaqah ‘askarīyah). Each military district is assigned a particular commander, who, depending on the size of the district, is in charge of either a brigade, division, or an entire corps; the forces under a particular military district commander are stationed either exclusively or primarily within the military district, and are responsible for the protection of the district from violent threats external or internal as well as all wartime operations within the district (although, military districts usually undergo a reorganisation during times of war, the last of which happened in late 2011 shortly after the start of the Arab Winter).

Most military districts are exclusive Arab Army districts, with either little or no Arab Air Force or Arab Navy presence in the district. Joint military districts, however, include either two- or three-service command structures, in which the Army operates alongside the Air Force or Navy, or both. No military district exists without an Army component, meaning that any military district including Air Force and/or Navy commands will also include an Army command; however, joint military districts, despite having an Army command component, are most commonly under either Air Force or Naval supreme command, with the Army component acting primarily as reinforcement and support as well as defence from ground attack.