They are used in the military

The first camel saddles had developed by as least 1200 BC, and Bactrian camels could be ridden. The first saddle was placed on the camel's back, and a rod was used to govern the Bactrian camel. However, Bactrian camels entered military service between 500 and 100 BC. The rider's weight was distributed across the animal using brand-new, rigid, bent saddles that were placed over the humps. The military Arabian saddle developed in the seventh century BC, somewhat enhancing the saddle design once more.

In conflicts across Africa, the Middle East, and even the present-day Border Security Force (BSF) of India, military forces have employed camel cavalries. The Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC saw the first recorded usage of camel cavalries. Camels have been employed by armies in place of horses and mules as a form of transport. The Romans recruited Dromedarii, or support forces, in the Roman Empire's eastern desert provinces. The ability of camels to scare off horses at close range due to their fragrance is what made them most useful in battle. The Achaemenid Persians notably utilized this skill when defeating Lydia in the Battle of Thymbra (547 BC).

Besides, the British Army also established the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps during World War I, which was made up of several Egyptian camel drivers and their animals. The Corps transported supplies to the troops in support of British military operations in Sinai, Palestine, and Syria. Additionally, during World War II in the Caucasus, Romanian troops rode Bactrian camels. Due to a lack of vehicles and horses, Soviet soldiers operating in Astrakhan in 1942 adopted local camels as draft animals and kept them long after leaving the region.