From the moment when a person picked up a stick, he realized that through violence you can dictate your will. From this time begins the development of martial art. Thus, after a large amount of time has passed, the army has become one of the main attributes of any state. If we recall the whole of human history, then until the 21st century, constant military conflicts took place on the territory of the entire planet. As a result of them, new territories were conquered, political regimes changed, new religions appeared, etc. Moreover, military operations in themselves are quite profitable for individuals. However, the destructiveness of wars became clear after the Second World War. People clearly saw what the frantic progress of the military craft, as well as its direct use, could lead to. Frightened by the integrity of the entire planet, the world community decides to change military trends.
Of course, getting rid of the wars completely failed. Today, military conflicts still occur in different parts of the Earth, but they have a purely local level. In addition, the armies of some states began to be created solely for protection, and not for the advancement of their ideas through war. One of such formations is the army of Saudi Arabia, which will be discussed later in the article.
Saudi Arabia: General Information
Before considering the armed forces of Saudi Arabia, it is necessary to outline the state in general terms. First of all, it should be noted that in this country the absolute theocratic monarchy in its classical form is still alive. This makes Saudi Arabia an interesting enough “historical monument”. The state is located on the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, this is the largest state in the territory represented. The main religion of Saudi Arabia is Islam. This state is often called the "Land of Two Mosques", which is not surprising, since there are two main Muslim shrines on the territory of the state: Mecca and Medina. It should also be noted that Saudi Arabia is among the countries exporting oil.
State Armed Forces
Saudi Arabia, a country rich in oil reserves, cannot do without a regular army. Its presence is also due to relative instability throughout the East. Periodically arising wars can do great harm to such a state. The Saudi army is a combination of several military branches, which, in general, corresponds to the classical form of the armed forces around the world. In addition, the military power of the state has its own history of creation and formation, which will be discussed in the article below.
Saudi Arabia: History
It should be noted that the army of Saudi Arabia, the photo of which is presented in the article, has its own history. However, its time frame is not too large. The thing is that the state itself is relatively young. It, in fact, was formed only in the 20th century, by combining disparate territorial units. At the same time, the army of Saudi Arabia was formed in the second half of the last century. In addition, the creation of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces significantly contributed to the military forces of the United States and Great Britain. To date, it is known for certain that between 1975 and 1977, about 2 thousand military instructors from Britain were in the troops of Saudi Arabia. There is also another country that took part in the creation of a strong state in the East. The army of Saudi Arabia, which numbers 142 thousand people today, owes its armament to France.
Aircraft structure
As previously stated, the Saudi army has a classic military structure . In other words, the troops of this state are based on generally accepted likeness. Thus, the structure of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces includes the following elements:
- ground troops;
- naval forces;
- air force ;
- air defense troops;
- strategic missile forces;
- National Guard.
Each element of the army of Saudi Arabia has its own characteristics and specific functions.
Ground troops
The army of Saudi Arabia, the fighting efficiency of which is mainly determined by its ground forces and air defense, has about 80 thousand personnel in this sector. In addition, the ground forces are directly subordinate to the General Staff. The structure of this element of the sun is quite surprising. Considering that there are only 80 thousand personnel, this does not prevent the ground forces from including many brigades, namely: armored, mechanized, airborne, eight divisions, as well as troops protecting the border. The armament of this component of the army is also at the proper level. As part of the ground forces, it has 1,055 tanks, 400 mortars, 970 infantry fighting vehicles and about 300 armored vehicles.
Naval forces
The army in Saudi Arabia also has a navy in its structure. The tasks of this sector of the armed forces include the protection of territorial waters, the coast, the sea shelf, oil infrastructure facilities, etc. Many scientists do not understand why this state needs a Navy. The fact is that the country is washed by water on both sides. In the west is the Red Sea, and in the northeast - the Persian Gulf. Thus, if you want from the water to the state it is quite realistic to attack. It should be noted that the main reason why the naval forces were created was the capture of some islands belonging to Saudi Arabia by the Iranian shah. Modernization of the Navy took up the United States of America, according to the agreement signed between the countries. Already in 1991, this element of the armed forces numbered 9.5 thousand people.
Today, the number of naval forces of Saudi Arabia totals about 15.5 thousand people. This also includes 3 thousand people of the Marine Corps. Military-technical cooperation has not yet lost its popularity for Saudi Arabia. Today, the state actively maintains relations with the UK, Italy, France, as well as the United States.
Air Force
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia currently has the second largest fleet after Israel. The army is the strongest, of course, not in this state, however, in terms of aviation, the country does not lag behind, but, on the contrary, surpasses many. Firstly, it is necessary to note the technical potential of the country. The air fleet is represented by A-15 aircraft effective for combat missions. Secondly, the air force is 20,000. In addition, Saudi Arabia proved the combat effectiveness in the field of air defense in 1984, when there was a conflict with Iran. In addition, the state air forces performed very well in an operation against Iraq called the Desert Storm.
It should be noted that the leadership of the state actively controls the process of replenishing the armed forces with new personnel, especially when it comes to the air forces. This is evidenced by the fact that in Saudi Arabia there is a special King Faisal Aviation Academy. It is located at an air base in Al Harj. Airfields are located throughout the state, especially near the borders with other countries. This allows you to effectively protect yourself in case of unforeseen intrusion.
Strategic missile forces
The greatest power in Saudi Arabia has missile forces. Their combat effectiveness is due to some key factors. First of all, it should be noted that the armament of this military group of Saudi Arabia has ballistic missiles of the DF-3 type. In addition, in 2014, a rumor leaked to the press that the state had acquired from the People's Republic of China a new type of ballistic missile, such as the DF-21. The U.S. authorities, represented by the Central Intelligence Agency, confirmed this rumor indicating that the deal was completed in 2007. Also, throughout the territory of Saudi Arabia, there are about 5 missile bases. The headquarters of this element of the armed forces is located in Riyadh. In 2013, the command of the missile forces was located in a new luxurious building, which was opened in parallel with the Academy of Strategic Missile Forces.
Rumors about nuclear weapons
Today in the world there are many rumors about the existence of nuclear weapons in Saudi Arabia. There is no confirmation of this information, as well as statements about the exact number of strategic missile forces, which raises a lot of questions. Thus, it cannot be said that the army of Saudi Arabia is weak, because there is simply no exact information about it. Nevertheless, according to the statements of the ruling elite, namely King Abdullah and Prince Turki ibn Faisal Al Saud, the state is striving to acquire nuclear weapons by all means, which will become a countermeasure against the nuclear program of the state of Iran.
There are also many rumors that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan allegedly entered into a secret agreement, according to which the latter side can provide weapons to the state mentioned in the article in the event of a military crisis in the East.
Conclusion
So, in the article, the author considered the structure, armament, characteristic features of the Armed Forces, and also answered the question of what the army of Saudi Arabia is. The rating of this military formation, of course, is not as high as that of the armed forces of Russia or the United States. Nevertheless, the army of this state is fully capable of upholding the independence and territorial integrity of its fatherland.