The Saudi Arabian Military Forces (SAMF) is the collective term for all military forces of Saudi Arabia. Each branch operates independently under different ministries or chains of command.
The SAMF comprises the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (under the Ministry of Defense), the Saudi Arabian National Guard (under the Ministry of National Guard), the Saudi Arabian Border Guard (under the Ministry of Interior), the Saudi Arabian Royal Guard (under the Presidency of the Royal Guard), the Saudi Arabian Emergency Force (under the Presidency of State Security), and the Special Security Unit (affiliated with the General Intelligence Presidency).
History
The first steps towards building an institutionalised Military Forces for Saudi Arabia began in the 1940s, when Saudi regulars numbered perhaps 1,000–1,500, Gaub saying that officers mostly came from the Ottoman troops who had served the Sharif of Mecca before his being expelled in 1924. A Ministry of Defense was created in 1943; a military school founded in Taif, and the United Kingdom began efforts to try to build a professional force. After the failure of this UK programme, a subsequent U.S. programme which ran from 1951 also failed to reach its objective (the creation for three to five Regimental combat teams). Growth of the armed forces was slowed to some 7,500–10,000 by 1953. Continued enlargement came to a halt in the late 1950s due to internal Saudi power struggles (including two plots by senior officers) and geo-political concerns, namely the Free Officers Revolution in Egypt followed by a brutal Baathist coup in Iraq, wherein expanded post-colonial Arab armies overthrew the domestic monarchies they had sworn allegiance too in 1952 and 1958 respectively. These event led the Saudis to the rational conclusion their own military could potentially pose a greater threat to their line than any of their neighbors. In the decades that followed, though the Kingdom experienced unprecedented economic expansion and modernization; the Royal Armed Forces remained contained. From the late 1950s to the late 1970s, the Saudis did expand and modernize their military but at a stagnate rate, this despite the fact the region was regularly at war. In 1969, South Yemeni forces attacked the Kingdom along the border but were swiftly defeated by Royal and allied forces. When the Yom-Kippur War broke out in 1973, Saudi Arabia used "Oil as a weapon", to aid the Arab cause;Smith, Charles D. (2006), Palestine and the Arab–Israeli Conflict, New York: Bedford, p. 329. this strategy significantly influenced world opinion against Israel though to what extent is remains unclear.Myre, Greg. “The 1973 Arab Oil Embargo: The Old Rules No Longer Apply“ (October 16, 2013). National Public Radio. www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2013/10/15/234771573/the-1973-arab-oil-embargo-the-old-rules-no-longer-apply Retrieved January 20, 2021.Daoudi, M. S.; Dajani, M. S. (January 1984). "The 1967 Oil Embargo Revisited". Journal of Palestine Studies. 13 (#2): 65–90. doi:10.2307/2536897. ISSN 0377-919X. JSTOR 2536897. Following these successes, the Saudis would pursue only limited increased support for their armed forces in the wake of the Grand Mosque Seizure in 1979. In the 1980s Saudi Arabia became a major source of financial but not military assistance, for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan,http://www.arabnews.com/node/1661431. "The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan". Arab News (April 19, 2020). Retrieved 20 January 2021. and the regime of Saddam Hussein in its war against Revolutionary Iran."Annex D: Iraq Economic Data (1989–2003)". Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI [Director of Central Intelligence] on Iraq's WMD. 1 of 3. Central Intelligence Agency. 27 April 2007Pike, John (ed.). "Iraq debt: Non-Paris Club Creditors". Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2021. The 1991 Gulf War saw the greatest threat to the Kingdom in modern history and the largest deployment of Saudi Armed Forces in history, with all levels of the Saudi military actively participating as part of the U.N. coalition against Iraq.
In 1987, members of the air force, army, and navy used to be mainly recruits from groups of people without a strong identity from the Najd tribal system and people from urban areas.
King Abdullah increasingly moved towards comprehensive military reform following what he considered a failed response by Saudi forces to Houthi incursions in 2009.Abeer Allam (21 April 2013). "Saudi king sacks deputy defence minister". Financial Times. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
In the early 2010s, after almost 20 years of relatively modest increases in military spending, the Saudi government embarked on an unprecedented expansion of the Kingdom's armed forces."Data for all countries from 1988–2018 in constant (2017) USD (pdf)" (PDF). SIPRI. Retrieved 20 January 2021.Tian, Nan; Fleurant, Aude; Kuimova, Alexandra; Wezeman, Pieter D.; Wezeman, Siemon T. (27 April 2020). "Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019" (PDF). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 20 January 2021. This shift in policy was spear-headed primarily by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who took over as Defense Minister in 2015."Saudi King Abdullah passes away". Al Arabiya, (23 January 2015). Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2021. It is believed the continued high level expansion of the Saudi Armed Forces was a response to not only short term threats (including incursions by Yemeni rebels and the rise of ISIS) but long term regional strategic concerns, namely the increasing strength of Iran and the uncertain future of America's role in the region.
In 2019, the government of Saudi Arabia stated that women can start working in the military. In the past they could only work in police.
Defense spending
Spending on defense and security has increased significantly since the mid-1990s and was about US$67 billion in 2013. Saudi Arabia ranks among the top five nations in the world in government spending for its military, representing about 9% of GDP in 2013. Its modern, high-technology arsenal makes Saudi Arabia among the world's most densely armed nations, with its military equipment being supplied primarily by the United States, France, and Britain."Country Profile: Saudi Arabia" , September 2006, United States Library of Congress According to SIPRI, in 2010–14 Saudi Arabia became the world's second largest arms importer, receiving four times more major arms than in 2005–2009. Major imports in 2010–14 included 45 combat aircraft from the United Kingdom, 38 combat helicopters from the U.S., 4 tanker aircraft from Spain and over 600 armored vehicles from Canada. Saudi Arabia has a long list of outstanding orders for arms, including 27 more combat aircraft from the United Kingdom, 154 combat aircraft from the U.S. and a large number of armoured vehicles from Canada.
The United States sold more than $80 billion in military hardware between 1951 and 2006 to the Saudi military."Saudi Arabia" , Federation of American Scientists In comparison, the Israel Defense Forces received $53.6 billion in U.S. military grants between 1949 and 2007. On 20 October 2010, United States Department of State notified Congress of its intention to make the biggest arms sale in American history—an estimated $60.5 billion purchase by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The package represented a considerable improvement in the offensive capability of the Saudi armed forces. The United States emphasized that the arms transfer would increase "interoperability" with U.S. forces. In the Gulf War, having U.S.-trained Saudi Arabian forces, along with military installations built to U.S. specifications, allowed the U.S. military to deploy in a comfortable and familiar battle environment. This new deal would increase these capabilities, as an advanced American military infrastructure is about to be built. The U.S. government was also in talks with Saudi Arabia about the potential sale of advanced naval and missile-defense upgrades."Saudi Arms Deal Advances" , Wall Street Journal
The United Kingdom has also been a major supplier of military equipment to Saudi Arabia since 1965.
Canada recently won a contract worth at least US$10 billion to supply the Saudi Arabian army with armored military vehicles.
Service branches Armed Forces
The Saudi Arabian Armed Forces are affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and consist of five branches
Saudi Arabian Army
The Saudi Arabian Army is composed of three armored brigades, five mechanized brigades, one airborne brigade, one Royal Guard brigade, and eight artillery battalions. The army also has one aviation command with two aviation brigades.
The army's main equipment consists of a combination of French- and U.S.-made armored vehicles: 315 M–1A2 Abrams, 290 AMX–30, and 450 M60A3 main battle tanks; 300 reconnaissance vehicles; 570+ AMX–10P and 400 M–2 Bradley armored infantry fighting vehicles; 3,000+ M113 and 100 Al-Fahd armored personnel carriers, produced in Saudi Arabia; 200+ towed artillery pieces; 110 self-propelled artillery pieces; 60 multiple rocket launchers; 400 mortars; 10 surface-to-surface missiles; about 2,000 antitank guided weapons; about 200 rocket launchers; 450 recoilless launchers; 12 attack helicopters; 50+ transport helicopters; and 1,000 surface-to-air missiles.
In 1996 Saudi Arabia had military cities in the northeast, the King Khalid Military City, at Tabuk, at Dharhran, and at Abha in the southwest. There was a 1996 report that construction of a military city at Jizan, orientated toward Yemen, had begun with Defense Minister Prince Sultan pouring the first concrete on 8 May 1996.James Bruce, "Saudis building military city on Yemen border", Jane's Defence Weekly, 15 May 1996, p.3
The Library of Congress Country Studies for Saudi Arabia, issued in 1992, noted that the army has been chronically under strength, in the case of some units by an estimated 30 to 50 percent. These shortages have been aggravated by a relaxed policy that permitted considerable absenteeism and by a serious problem of retaining experienced technicians and non-commissioned officers.
Royal Saudi Air Force
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces.
The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability, and maintains the third largest fleet of F-15s after the U.S. and Japanese air forces. The air force is organized in seven fighter/ground-attack squadrons, six fighter squadrons, and seven training squadrons. Saudi Arabia has at least 15 active military airfields.
As of 2011, Saudi Arabia has around 300 combat aircraft. The kingdom's combat aircraft are newly acquired Typhoons and upgraded Tornado IDS, F-15 Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter planes. Saudi Arabia has a further 80+ F-15 Eagles on order and an option to buy another 72 Typhoons.
Royal Saudi Naval Forces
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces are the maritime arm of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and one of the five service branches of the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia. Its primary role is monitoring and defending the Saudi territorial waters against military or economic intrusion, and participating in international naval alliances.
The navy is divided into two fleets: the Western Fleet has bases in Jeddah, Jizan, and Al-Wajh; the Eastern Fleet has bases in Jubail, Dammam, Ras Mishab, and Ras al Ghar. The marines are organized into one infantry regiment with two battalions.
The navy's inventory includes 11 principal surface combatants, 65 patrol and coastal combatants, 7 mine warfare vessels, 8 amphibious craft, and 7 support and miscellaneous craft. Naval aviation forces have 19 helicopters (armed) serving in naval support.
Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces