Its estimated 12,000 personnel[2] are considered to be a premier fighting unit in the Middle East and the Arab world.

[4] UAE-PG was formed in 2011 as a merger of the Amiri Guard, the Special Operations Command, and the Marine Battalion from the UAE Navy.

In January 2017, a 149-member contingent from the Presidential Guard, as well as 35-member band, marched in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on the Rajpath during the Delhi Republic Day parade of 2017.

Their role has mostly been active in the delivery of humanitarian aid as well as supporting the development of basic community infrastructure in Afghanistan.

[14] The Presidential Guard has played a role in the Yemeni Civil War in the support of the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.