Saudi Arabia: Section 3-Force Structures

摘要

As head of state, the king is the formal commander in chief of the country's armed forces. All major defense policy decisions involve high-ranking members of the royal family, with both the minister of defense and aviation and the minister of interior playing major roles. The minister of defense and aviation is the actual decision maker for almost everything that affects the regular armed forces.Faced with a growing shortage of technically qualified workers to handle the large quantities of arms it has purchased, Saudi Arabia has resorted to special arrangements with two Islamic nations for troops and training: Pakistan and Bangladesh. There are reportedly more than 10,000 foreign contract military personnel in Saudi Arabia, including some from the United States and United Kingdom.