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.
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.
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.
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. 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). SIPRI also noted that Saudi Arabia possesses the most modern and well-equipped military in the Persian Gulf region.
List of ministers No. Portrait Minister Took office Left office Time in office 1 Mansour bin Abdulaziz 22 October 1943 1 May 1951 2 Mishaal bin Abdulaziz 12 May 1951 26 December 1956 3 Fahd bin Saud 26 December 1956 21 December 1960 4 Muhammed bin Saud 22 December 1960 21 October 1963 5 Sultan bin Abdulaziz 1 November 1963 22 October 2011 6 Salman bin Abdulaziz 5 November 2011 23 January 2015 7 Mohammed bin Salman 23 January 2015 27 September 2022 8 Khalid bin Salman 27 September 2022 Incumbent
See also Ministry of War Ministries of Saudi Arabia Chairman of the General Staff
References
External links
Minister of Defense at Global Security