Army of Saudi Arabia: strength, combat capability, photo

From the moment when the person took up a stick, he realized that through violence one can dictate one's will. From this time begins the development of martial art. Thus, after a long time, one of the main attributes of any state was the army. If we recall the whole human history, 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 actions in themselves are quite a lucrative affair for individuals. However, the destructiveness of wars became clear after the Second World War. People clearly saw what the furious progress of the military craft can lead to, as well as its direct use. Frightened for the integrity of the whole planet, the world community decides to change military trends.

Of course, it was not possible to get rid of wars completely. Today, military conflicts are still taking place at different points 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 in general terms to characterize this state. 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 quite an interesting "historical monument". The state is located on the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, it 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 on the territory of the state there are two main Muslim shrines: Mecca and Medina. It should also be noted that Saudi Arabia is among the oil-exporting countries.

Armed forces of the state

Saudi Arabia, rich in oil reserves, can not 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 army of Saudi Arabia is a collection of several military arms, which, in general, corresponds to the classic type of aircraft throughout the world. In addition, the military strength of the state has its own history of creation and formation, as will be discussed in the article further.

Sun of 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 twentieth century, by unifying 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 Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia was greatly facilitated by US and British military forces. To date, it is known for sure that between 1975 and 1977 there were about 2,000 British military instructors in 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 142,000 men today, owes its armament to France.

Aircraft structure

As it was mentioned earlier, the army of Saudi Arabia has a classical structure of the armed forces. In other words, the troops of this state are based on the generally accepted likeness. Thus, the structure of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia includes the following elements:

- ground troops;

- naval forces;

- air Force;

- air defense forces;

- strategic missile forces;

- National Guard.

Each element of the Saudi army has its own characteristics and specific functions.

Troops land

The army of Saudi Arabia, whose fighting capacity is due in large part to its land forces and air defense, has about 80,000 personnel in this sector. In addition, the land forces are directly subordinate to the General Staff. The structure of this element of the aircraft is quite surprising. Taking into account the fact that only 80 thousand troops are personnel, this does not prevent the ground forces from including a number of brigades, namely: armored, mechanized, airborne, eight divisional, as well as troops defending the border. The armament of this component of the army is also at the proper level. As part of the ground forces, there are 1055 tanks, 400 mortars, 970 infantry fighting vehicles and about 300 armored vehicles.

Naval Forces

The army in Saudi Arabia also has in its structure the Navy. Among the tasks of this sector of the armed forces is the protection of territorial waters, the coast, the sea shelf, objects of the oil infrastructure, etc. Many scientists do not understand why this state should the Navy. The fact is that the country is washed by water from both sides. In the west is the Red Sea, and in the northeast - the Persian Gulf. Thus, if desired, it is quite possible to attack the state with water. It should be noted that the main reason why the naval forces were created was the seizure of some of the islands belonging to Saudi Arabia by the Iranian Shah. The United States of America took up the modernization of the Navy, according to the agreement signed between the countries. Already in 1991 this element of the armed forces consisted of 9,500 people in its personnel.

To date, the number of Saudi Arabian naval forces is about 15.5 thousand people. Here it is possible to carry 3 thousand persons of marine infantry. Military-technical cooperation still has not lost its popularity for Saudi Arabia. Today the state actively maintains relations with Great Britain, Italy, France, and also the United States.

Air force of the country

It should be noted that today Saudi Arabia has the second largest air fleet after Israel. The army is the strongest, of course, not in this state, but in terms of aviation the country does not lag behind, but, on the contrary, outperforms many. First, it is necessary to note the technical potential of the country. The aircraft fleet is represented by the A-15 aircraft effective for combat missions. Secondly, the strength of the air force is 20,000 people. In addition, the combat capability in the field of air defense Saudi Arabia proved in 1984, when there was a conflict with Iran. In addition, the Air Force of the state showed itself well in the operation directed against Iraq, which was called "Desert Storm".

It should be noted that the government is actively monitoring the process of replenishing the armed forces with new personnel, especially when it comes to air forces. This is evidenced by the fact that in Saudi Arabia there is a special Aviation Academy named after King Faisal. It is located at the air base at El Kharj. Aerodromes are located on the territory of the whole state, especially near the borders with other countries. This allows you to effectively defend yourself in the event of an unforeseen intrusion.

Strategic Missile Troops

The greatest power in Saudi Arabia is the missile forces. Their fighting capacity is due to some basic factors. First of all, it should be noted that in the arsenal of this military grouping of Saudi Arabia there are ballistic missiles of the DF-3 type. In addition, in 2014, the press leaked a rumor that the state acquired from the People's Republic of China a new type of ballistic missiles, such as DF-21. The US authorities, in the person of the Central Intelligence Agency, confirmed this rumor with an indication that the deal was conducted in 2007. Also on the territory of the whole of Saudi Arabia there are about 5 missile bases. The headquarters of this element of the armed forces is in Riyadh. In 2013, the command of the missile forces was located in a new luxury building, which was opened in parallel with the Academy of Strategic Missile Forces.

Rumors about nuclear weapons

Today, there are many rumors in the world 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 can not 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 seeks with all its might to obtain nuclear weapons, which will be 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 party can provide weapons to the state mentioned in the article in case of a military crisis in the East.

Conclusion

So, in the article the author considered the structure, armament, and characteristic features of the Armed Forces, and also answered the question about 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 defending the independence and territorial integrity of its fatherland.