From the moment when a man picked up a stick,he realized that through violence you can dictate your will. From this time begins the development of martial art. Thus, after a large amount of time, the army became one of the main attributes of any state. If we recall the whole human history, then up to the XXI century on the territory of the entire planet there were constant military conflicts. As a result, new territories were conquered, political regimes changed, new religions appeared, and so forth. Moreover, military actions themselves are quite profitable for individuals. However, the destructiveness of wars became clear after World War II. People clearly saw the consequences of the frantic progress of military craft, as well as its direct use. Frightened for the integrity of the entire planet, the world community decides to change military trends.
Of course, getting rid of wars is not completelyhappened. Today, military conflicts are still taking place in different parts of the Earth, but they have a purely local level. In addition, the armies of some states began to be created solely for protection, and not for the advancement of their ideas through war. One of such formations is the army of Saudi Arabia, which will be discussed later in the article.
Saudi Arabia: general information
Before considering the armed forcesSaudi Arabia, it is necessary in general terms to characterize this state. First of all, it should be noted that in this country the absolute theocratic monarchy in its classical form is still alive. This makes Saudi Arabia quite an interesting "historical monument". The state is located on the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, it is the largest state in the territory represented. The main religion of Saudi Arabia is Islam. This state is often called the "Land of two mosques", which is not surprising, since on the territory of the state there are two main Muslim shrines: Mecca and Medina. It should also be noted that Saudi Arabia is among the oil-exporting countries.
Armed forces of the state
The country rich in terms of oil reserves is SaudiArabia can not do without a regular army. Its presence is also due to relative instability throughout the East. Periodically arising wars can do great harm to such a state. The army of Saudi Arabia is a collection of several arms, which, in general, corresponds to the classic type of aircraft throughout the world. In addition, the military strength of the state has its own history of creation and formation, as will be discussed in the article further.
Sun of Saudi Arabia: history
It should be noted that the army of Saudi Arabia,photo of which is presented in the article, has its own history. However, its time frame is not too large. The thing is that the state itself is relatively young. It, in fact, was formed only in the XX century, by uniting disparate territorial units. At the same time the army of Saudi Arabia was formed in the second half of the last century. In addition, the military forces of the United States and Great Britain contributed significantly to the creation of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia. To date, it is known for sure that between 1975 and 1977, Saudi Arabia had about 2,000 British military instructors. There is also another country that took part in the creation of a strong state in the East. The army of Saudi Arabia, which numbers 142,000 men today, owes its armament to France.
Aircraft structure
As mentioned earlier, the Saudi armyArabia has a classic army structure. In other words, the troops of this state are based on the generally accepted likeness. Thus, the structure of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia includes the following elements:
- ground troops;
- naval forces;
- air Force;
- air defense forces;
- strategic missile forces;
- National Guard.
Each element of the Saudi army has its own characteristics and specific functions.
Ground troops
Saudi Arabian Army, whose combat capabilitydue largely to its ground forces and air defense, it has about 80 thousand personnel in this sector. In addition, land forces are directly subordinate to the general staff. The structure of this element of the Armed Forces is quite surprising. Given the fact that there are only 80 thousand personnel, this does not prevent the ground forces from including many brigades, namely: armored, mechanized, airborne, eight divisional, as well as troops protecting the border. The armament of this component of the army is also at the proper level. In the composition of the ground forces it has 1055 tanks, 400 mortars, 970 infantry fighting vehicles and about 300 armored vehicles.
Naval forces
Армия в Саудовской Аравии также имеет в своей structure of the navy. The tasks of this sector of the armed forces include the protection of territorial waters, the coast, the sea shelf, oil infrastructure facilities, etc. Many scientists do not understand why this state of the Navy. The fact is that the country is washed by water from two sides. In the west is the Red Sea, and in the northeast - the Persian Gulf. Thus, if desired, it is quite possible to attack the state from the water. It should be noted that the main reason for the creation of the naval forces was the seizure of some islands belonging to Saudi Arabia by the Iranian Shah. The modernization of the Navy took up the United States of America, according to the agreement signed between the countries. Already in 1991, this element of the armed forces numbered 9,500 people.
To date, the number of naval forcesSaudi Arabia has about 15.5 thousand people. It can also be attributed 3 thousand people in the Marines. Military-technical cooperation has not yet lost its popularity for Saudi Arabia. Today, the state actively maintains relations with Great Britain, Italy, France, and the United States.
Country Air Forces
It should be noted that the second largest afterIsrael’s fleet today has Saudi Arabia. The army is the strongest, of course, not in this state, however, in terms of aviation, the country does not lag behind, but, on the contrary, it surpasses many. First, it is necessary to note the technical potential of the country. The fleet is represented by effective A-15 aircraft for the performance of combat missions. Secondly, the number of air forces is 20,000 people. In addition, Saudi Arabia proved its combat capability in the field of air defense in 1984, when a conflict with Iran occurred. In addition, the Air Forces of the state have perfectly proved themselves in the operation against Iraq, which was called “Desert Storm”.
It should be noted, the government is activelycontrols the process of replenishing the armed forces with new personnel, especially when it comes to the air force. This is evidenced by the fact that in Saudi Arabia there is a special Aviation Academy named after King Faisal. It is located at the air base in El Kharj. Aerodromes are located on the territory of the entire state, especially near the borders with other countries. This allows you to effectively defend yourself in the event of an unforeseen invasion.
Strategic Missile Forces
The greatest power in Saudi Arabia haverocket troops. Their combat capability is due to some major factors. First of all, it should be noted that in the armament of this military grouping of Saudi Arabia there are ballistic missiles of the DF-3 type. In addition, in 2014, a rumor was leaked to the press that the state acquired from the People's Republic of China a new type of ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21. US authorities in the person of the Central Intelligence Agency confirmed this rumor indicating that the transaction was carried out in 2007. Also in the whole of Saudi Arabia there are about 5 missile bases. The headquarters of this element of the armed forces is in Riyadh. In 2013, the command of the missile forces was located in a new luxury building, which was opened in parallel with the Academy of Strategic Rocket Forces.
Rumors of nuclear weapons
There are a lot of rumors in the world today.the existence of nuclear weapons in saudi arabia. Confirmation of this information is not, as well as statements of the exact number of strategic missile forces, which causes a lot of questions. Thus, it cannot be said that the army of Saudi Arabia is weak, because there is simply no accurate information about it. Nevertheless, according to the statements of the ruling elite, namely King Abdullah and Prince Turki ibn Faisal Al Saud, the state is seeking with all its might to acquire nuclear weapons, which will be a countermeasure against the nuclear program of the State of Iran.
There are also many rumors thatSaudi Arabia and Pakistan allegedly entered into a secret agreement, according to which, the last party can provide the weapons to the state mentioned in the article in the event of a military crisis in the East.
Conclusion
Итак, в статье автор рассмотрел структуру, weapons, the characteristics of the Armed Forces, and also answered the question about what the army of Saudi Arabia is. The rating of this military formation, of course, is not as high as that of the armed forces of Russia or the United States. Nevertheless, the army of this state is fully capable of defending the independence and territorial integrity of their homeland.
