SAUDI ARABIA FACTS PAGE-Peter Quintailla-CMO
The national security of Saudi Arabia is headed by the Supreme commander of the Armed Forces and is also king. The military is divided into three components and is headed by amirs (princes) of the royal family. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/satoc.html
The military threat comes from possible aggressive neighbors: Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Israel. The kingdom’s oil asset furthermore makes them a probable target. The surplus of oil export revenue allows Saudi Arabia to spend abundantly on facilities and sophisticated equipment. http://www.deskbook.osd.mil/reflib/DDOD/001EN/001ENdoc.htm
Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy: “To maintain its security and its paramount position on the Arabian Peninsula,defend general Arab and Islamic interests, promote solidarity among Islamic governments, and maintain cooperative relations with other oil-producing and major oil-consuming countries.”
With 1,960,582 sq km sq km of land, most of which is desert, overland attack is limited, however the NE section of the country bordering the Persian Gulf can be attacked easily by air and sea. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sa.html
Military manpower: military age: 17
Availability: males ages 15-49; 5,894,691 (2001 est.)
Fit for military service: male ages 15-49; 3291,185 (2001 est.)
Reaching military age annually: males 233,402 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures: US $18.3 billion (FY00)
Percent of GDP: 13% (FY00)
http://www.hawaii.edu/intlrel/pols315/IFs/saudiarabia-l.htm
The Saudi Arabian Constitution states: “Chapter 5 Rights and Duties, Article 34 (Military Service): the defense of the Islamic religion, society, and county is a duty fro each citizen. The regime establishes the provisions of the military service.” Military service is closed to all female applicants.
http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/law/sa00000_.html
Royal Saudi Land Forces: compose of approximately 73,000 (1992) troops, three times the number of the other three services combined. It consists of eight brigades: two armored, five mechanized, and one airborne. It also has five artillery battalions and the most visible, the Royal Guard Regiment that is made up of three light infantry battalions that travels with the king.
The army's strength is concentrated at four large military cities. Khamis Mushayt, Tabuk, Assad Military City, at Al Kharj, where the national armaments industry is located, and King Khalid Located near Hafar al Batin
The land forces are equipped with tanks, armored vehicles self-propelled artillery pieces, rocket launchers, mortars, and surface-to surface and surface-to- air missiles from the United States, Britain, France, Brazil and China—most notably the equipment from the United States. http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/saudi_arabia.htm
Saudi Arabia has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty and written assurance not to arm missiles with chemical weapons.
Royal Saudi Air Force: established in 1950 and originally controlled by the army, today is considered the most modern and effective Saudi service. Its mission is to defend the economic installations and the scattered population centers against attack and to repel air or amphibious assaults against the vulnerable oil infrastructure.
The RSAF’s inventory consists of aircraft from the United States, UK, Spain, Italy, and Japan. It includes the United States’ F-15C, AWACS and the UK’s Tornado.
Royal Saudi Navy: The navy is organized into the Western Fleet, with headquarters at Jiddah on the Red Sea, and the Eastern Fleet, with headquarters at Al Jubayl. Its strength was 9,500(1992) with 1,500 marines, organized into an infantry regiment
The United States, UK, France and Germany supply the navies’ equipment.
Saudi Arabian National Guard: regularly referred to as a paramilitary or internal security force. It is not a reserve component of the army, and its strength is estimated at 75,000 (1992), 20,000 on call for mobilization. The non-active duty element consists tribal battalions under local shaykhs, which are not well trained or well equipped; however, they are loyal to the house of Saud.
Their equipment consisted of armored personnel carriers, commando wheeled vehicles, howitzers, anti-tank, recoilless rifles, and TOW missiles supplied largely by the United States.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/satoc.html