Military of Saudi Arabia
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The Saudi Ministry of Defence and Aviation is responsible for the direction of the Kingdom's military. The Ministry also has responsibility for the construction of civilian airports (as well as military bases), and for meteorology.
As of July 2005, the Minister of Defense and Aviation is Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz. The Deputy Minister is his full brother, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz.
Military branches:
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- Saudi Royal Guard Regiment -a distinct unit separate from the Army whose mission is the protection of the House of Saud
- Royal Saudi Navy (including a Naval Air Wing and Marines),
- Royal Saudi Air Force),
- Air Defense Force,
- Saudi Arabian National Guard,
- Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
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Military Situation: With the collapse of the Iraqi Ba'athist regime in mid-2003, the greatest conventional threat to the Saudi Kingdom was eliminated. The military situation became both less threatening and more complex.
The most important threats now are from tribesmen in Yemen who cross the frontier at will (as they have for centuries) and whose presence threatens Saudi territorial integrity. The Islamic Republic of Iran is another potential threat. Its behavior since the fall of the Shah has generally been introverted, but also unpredictable and therefore worrying.
Iranian air or sea action could threaten the free flow of oil, critical both to the industrial world and to the oil-producing countries. Shiite Iran could extend its reach (perhaps through Bahrain) to subvert the Shiite minority in Saudi Arabia.
Internal subversion is now the major threat. This is heightened by a growing population of young men who are facing daunting challenges to simply find work. Although Saudi Arabia is exceptionally religious and defers to religious authorities on many issues, the behavior and legitimacy of the Kingdom is under constant rhetorical attack from both liberal and conservative groups.
Such a threat cannot easily be contained by a military tailored to a more conventional scenario.
The rise of internal threats coincided with the American invasion of Iraq to the north. Car bombs and other attacks have been organized by cells based within the Kingdom. The police and intelligence communities have come to the forefront of the nation's defense.
Despite its at times anti-Western rhetoric, Saudi Arabia has been very dependent on Western military assistance for its security needs. When President Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Saudi Arabia's northern neighbor, Kuwait, during the Gulf War, Saudia Arabia immediately requested the deployment of US troops within the country to deter further aggression. Additionally, the country's oil exports through the shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf are protected by the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain. In 2005, Saudi Arabia was the foremost purchaser of US armaments in the world, with over $1.1 billion in purchases.[1]
The military is a major employer, and so it provides some relief to the nation's huge unemployment problem by bringing many young men into the defence of the country.
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (18 Hijri years)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,240,714 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,725,514 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 246,343 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $25.4 billion (2005) [2]
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 10% (2002)
[edit] References and links
Source 1: "Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Construction Sales and Military Assistance Facts as of September 2003," Published by Deputy for Operations and Administration, Business Operations/Comptroller, DSCA, Department of Defense. [3]
