Ministry of Defense (Saudi Arabia)

Ministry of Defense
وزارة الدفاع

Khalid bin Salman, the current Minister of Defense since 27 September 2022
Agency overview
Formed10 November 1943 (1943-11-10)
Preceding agencies
JurisdictionGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersRiyadh
Minister responsible
WebsiteOfficial English Site

The Ministry of Defense (Arabic: وزارة الدفاع) is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia responsible for protecting the country’s national security and sovereignty against external threats. It oversees the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and all of their service branches.[1]

History

The roots of Saudi Arabia's military administration can be traced back to the Ministry of War, which existed from 1744 to 1933, overseeing military affairs during the periods of the First Saudi state and Second Saudi state.

In 1929, a royal order by King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Third Saudi state, created the Military Affairs Administration to address military issues and build a strong army. The army was organized into three units: machine gun, infantry, and artillery units.[2]

In 1934, the Defense Agency was established by King Abdulaziz's order to meet the needs of expansion and modernization. Additional detachments were created and distributed across cities and seaports of the country. Five years later, in 1939, the General Staff Presidency was established, replacing the Military Affairs Administration.

The Ministry of Defense was formally created in 1943, replacing the Defense Agency. In 1952, it was renamed the Ministry of Defense and Aviation. In 2011, the ministry reverted to the name Ministry of Defense.[3]

By 2017, Saudi Arabia had become one of the world's leading military powers. It ranked third globally in military spending and was the largest military spender in the Middle East and North Africa.[4][5] With an allocated budget of $69.4 billion, representing 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Saudi Arabia surpassed Russia, which ranked fourth in military spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).[6] SIPRI also noted that Saudi Arabia possesses the most modern and well-equipped military in the Persian Gulf region.[7]

List of ministers

No. Portrait Minister Took office Left office Time in office
1 Mansour bin Abdulaziz 22 October 1943 1 May 1951 7 years, 191 days
2 Mishaal bin Abdulaziz 12 May 1951 26 December 1956 5 years, 228 days
3 Fahd bin Saud 26 December 1956 21 December 1960 3 years, 361 days
4 Muhammed bin Saud 22 December 1960 21 October 1963 2 years, 303 days
5 Sultan bin Abdulaziz 1 November 1963 22 October 2011 47 years, 355 days
6 Salman bin Abdulaziz 5 November 2011 23 January 2015 3 years, 79 days
7 Mohammed bin Salman 23 January 2015 27 September 2022 7 years, 247 days
8 Khalid bin Salman 27 September 2022 Incumbent 3 years, 179 days

Flags of the Armed Forces

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mission". www.mod.gov.sa. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Historical Perspective". www.mod.gov.sa. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Historical Perspective". www.mod.gov.sa. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  4. ^ Brown, Daniel. "The 15 countries with the highest military budgets in 2017". Business Insider. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Report: Saudi Arabia world third highest military spender in 2017". Middle East Monitor. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  6. ^ Tian, Nan; Fleurant, Aude; Kuimova, Alexandra; Wezeman, Pieter D.; wezeman, Siemon T. (May 2018). "Trends in world military expenditure, 2017" (PDF). SIPRI. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Saudi Arabia, armaments and conflict in the Middle East | SIPRI". www.sipri.org. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
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