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Saudi Arabia
Training
Any Saudi male citizen--including citizens who had been naturalized
for at least five years--could apply for training as an officer
if he met the physical and mental standards. Most officer candidates
attended military preparatory schools in Riyadh and other cities,
where they received free tuition if they committed themselves
to attend a military college upon graduation. The King Abd al
Aziz Military Academy was the principal source of second lieutenants
for the army. Designed for a capacity of 1,500 cadets, this modern
facility was a selfcontained small city about forty kilometers
from Riyadh. The curriculum required three years of study, with
successful completion leading to a bachelor of military science
degree and a commission. After graduation the new second lieutenants
attended a branch school for specialization in infantry, artillery,
armor, ordnance, airborne units, the engineers, communications,
military police, or administration. Officers in mid-career competed
for places at the Command and Staff College at Riyadh to earn
a master of military science degree, a required step toward promotion
to the senior ranks. Selected officers also attended higher military
colleges in the United States and other countries.
A network of army schools trained NCOs in branch and specialized
services. Basic training of enlisted personnel was conducted by
Saudi NCOs, but most subsequent training was carried out with
the assistance of foreign military personnel or specialists under
contract.
Science graduates of technical institutions and universities
could obtain direct commissions as second lieutenants. In September
1990, the king issued a directive opening military training programs
to all male university graduates without distinction as to geographical
and tribal balance, which had been factors in the past.
Air force flight training took place at the King Faisal Air Academy
at Al Kharj. The flight training consisted of a twentyseven -month
course that began with intensive instruction in the English language.
British instructors under contract to British Aerospace (BAe--formerly
the British Aircraft Corporation) held most of the faculty positions
at the air academy as well as at the Technical Studies Institute
at Dhahran, where Saudi aircraft technicians were trained.
After successful completion of primary training, cadets were
assigned for several months of advanced training on British Strikemasters
and Hawks, which had sufficient avionics and weapons for alternate
use as light daytime interceptors. Prospective transport pilots
and F-15 pilots were sent to the United States for advanced training.
A number of naval technical and training facilities were built
with United States guidance. Much of the United States Navy's
training in connection with its equipment deliveries, including
that for enlisted men, was conducted at San Diego and at other
United States training installations. In the 1980s, training and
advisory responsibilities increasingly shifted to France, linked
to the delivery of major ship units.
The Marine Training Institute at Jiddah, founded in 1982, had
a capacity of 500 officers and NCO students. Officers could earn
specialized degrees in mechanical, electrical, or electronic engineering,
general science, or military science. The general course for NCOs
was of twenty-six months' duration.
Data as of December 1992
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