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The Saudi Ministry of Defence and Aviation is responsible for the direction of the military of Saudi Arabia. The Ministry also has responsibility for the construction of civilian airports as well as military bases, and for Meteorology departments. Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz has held the portfolio of Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defence Aviation since 1962. The Vice Minister, Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, is his full brother. His oldest son, Khalid bin Sultan, was appointed Assistant Minister of Defence for Military Affairs in 2001.
[edit] Gulf WarWhen Iraq invaded Saudi Arabia's northern neighbor Kuwait in 1990 during the Persian Gulf War, Saudi Arabia immediately requested the deployment of US troops within the country to deter further aggression. [edit] Operation Southern WatchMain article: Operation Southern Watch Since the Gulf war, the US has had a continued presence of 5,000 troops stationed in Saudi Arabia - a figure that rose to 10,000 during the 2003 conflict in Iraq. [2] Operation Southern Watch enforced the no-fly zones over southern Iraq set up after 1991, as well, the country's oil exports through the shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf are protected by the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain. It was conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel (extended to the 33rd Parallel in 1996) in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This was one of the stated motivations behind the September 11th terrorist attacks,[2] as well as a the Khobar Towers bombing.[3] Bin Laden interpreted the Prophet Muhammad as banning the "permanent presence of infidels in Arabia".[4] US troops in Saudi Arabia served to provoke skirmishes between Iraq and the US between both Gulf Wars. [edit] Since 2003
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 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.[weasel words] The recent meetings between King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and President Ahmadinejad of Iran seem to be showing improved relations between the two nations. Internal subversion also a major threat.[citation needed] 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 legitimacy of the Kingdom is threatened from both liberal and conservative groups.[citation needed] The rise of internal threats coincided with the beginning of the Iraq war. Car bombs and other attacks have been organized by cells based within the Kingdom. The police and intelligence communities have stepped up their activities to deal with unrest. Despite its at times anti-Western rhetoric, Saudi Arabia has been very dependent on Western military assistance for its security needs. In 2005, Saudi Arabia was the foremost purchaser of US armaments in the world, with over $1.1 billion in purchases.[5]. It was believed that Saudi Arabia would start purchasing military equipment from other suppliers, including Russia, but so far all deals have only been possibilities, and several of them have fallen through in the process. No military equipment has been bought from Russia, and as of late the armed forces of Saudi Arabia are trying to now procure equipment from nations like the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as trying to get upgrades from the United States. The military is a major employer, so it provides some relief to the nation's huge unemployment problem by bringing many young men into the defense of the country.[weasel words] [edit] Military industry[edit] See also[edit] Notes
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[edit] External links
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