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Saudi Arabia
FOREIGN INVOLVEMENT AND INFLUENCE
Until the 1930s, Abd al Aziz, concerned with conquest and the
reestablishment of the House of Saud on the peninsula, showed
little interest in developing armed forces for national defense,
relying instead on British support and diplomacy. After the clash
with Yemen in the early 1930s and the discovery of oil, the Saudi
king recognized the need for a standing army and sought assistance
from Britain, Egypt, and the United States. By the mid-1940s,
the Saudis were relying more on the United States than on any
other country, mostly because of the successful relations between
Saudi officials and Aramco.
Only nominal sums were spent on defense until Saudi Arabia's
involvement in the Yemeni civil war of the early 1960s. When the
need for stronger national defense became apparent to the leadership,
Saudi Arabia was obliged to turn to foreign sources for armaments,
military training, and the construction of facilities. The long-standing
military relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States
served as a foundation for the buildup of the defense forces and
military infrastructure begun under Faisal.
Data as of December 1992
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