Global Security Newswire

Saudi Arabia and the United States are in talks on establishing new measures to significantly strengthen the Middle Eastern nation's ability to counter Iranian missiles and aircraft, the Associated Press reported on Thursday (see GSN, April 7).

The perceived threat posed by Iran is the primary rationale behind $60 billion in planned U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, set to include 84 new F-15 fighter jets and the refurbishment of 70 existing Saudi F-15 aircraft. The Gulf power has pursued new equipment for countering higher-altitude, medium-range missiles as well as updates to its current Patriot antimissile systems, which target shorter-range weapons.

Washington and Riyadh are also collaborating on an effort to establish a highly trained unit charged with guarding key Saudi infrastructure and the country's future atomic facilities, according to current and former U.S. officials as well as independent experts. Organizing was under way in 2009 or 2010, but the entity's present status is uncertain, AP reported.

The United States would offer training and equipment for the unit, which is expected to eventually include no fewer than 35,000 personnel. The U.S. Central Command has managed Washington's force organization program, which includes the Defense, Energy and Justice departments as participants.

While the group would focus on guarding Saudi petroleum assets, a leaked diplomatic record obtained by the antisecrecy organization WikiLeaks states it would also aim to defend "Saudi energy production facilities, desalination plants and future civil nuclear reactors."

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a significant partner in U.S. efforts to battle extremists and in other sectors, according to AP. Riyadh, though, has been aggravated by the Obama administration's handling of this year's unrest in the Middle East (Associated Press/Google News, May 19).