A/HRC/45/CRP.7 army. Vice-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who became President in 2012, issued a decree forming this committee on 4 December 2011. On 19 December 2012, President Hadi issued presidential decree 104 (2012), to regulate the structure of the armed forces. The first article of the decree described the Yemeni Armed Forces organizational structure in detail.675 The decree went to the heart of the political challenge by disbanding both the Republican Guard led by Ahmed Ali and the First Armoured Division lead by Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar. 11. On 10 April 2013, President Hadi issued Decree 16 (2013), in which the military operations theatre of the Republic of Yemen was divided into seven regions. According to this structure, the current command and control of the Government of Yemen Armed Forces is as follows (see also Appendix 1): 1. Chain of command (Leadership): a. The President of the Republic of Yemen, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and chairman of National Defence Council, President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. b. Minister of Defence. c. Chief of the General Staff. 2. Ministry of Defence: a. Minister of Defence, responsible for the state's defence policy and strategic security for the armed forces. b. Five specialized assistants for the Minister of Defence. 3. The General Staff. Responsible for preparing, securing and managing the affairs of the forces. Consists of the Chief of the General Staff, his Deputy and five committees (operations, intelligence, training, human resources, and logistical support) each with specialized departments. 4. Main branches of the Yemeni Armed Forces. According to the decree, there are five military branches under the Ministry of Defence, as follows: a. Air Force and Air Defence. b. Navy and Coastal Defence. c. Land Forces. d. Border Guard. e. Strategic Reserve. Serial Name Position Location Remarks 1 President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Riyadh, KSA February 2012 Vice President676 Riyadh, KSA 3 April 2016 ‫الرئيس عبد ربه منصور هادي‬ 2 Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar ‫لواء ركن علي محسن االحمر‬ 675 676 118 For more details, see A/HRC/42/CRP.1, annex I, appendix 1 Presidential Decree 48 (2016). https://www.facebook.com/alimohsensalehalahmar/posts/1011971235550346/.