Faisal Alshammeri

The U.S. media has made several revelations recently of a major defense effort by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that shows the buildup of ballistic missiles in cooperation with the Government of the People’s Republic of China. This is part of the grand strategy of the Kingdom to withstand the major security challenges it confronts at present and in the future. Such a strategic development points out how Saudi Arabia’ rulers have been able to adapt strategically to the deteriorating security milieu and circumstances in the Middle East, by devising new ways of coping with successive enemies. Definitely, these missiles programs affirm Saudi Arabia’s reliance on enhancing its military strength and also by boosting its diplomatic ability of persuasion, the recruitment of allies, and in dissuading the might of its threatening neighbors. The procurement of these ballistic missiles will help the containment of any enemy of the Kingdom. They will serve as a guidebook to the art of statecraft of how to deflect tensions and how to continue to refine Saudi’s strategy for the fulfillment of peace in the Middle East and in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is fully aware who its enemies are. It does not desire to destroy them. Saudi Arabia wants to end their hostile attitude toward her. Only such a display of a formidable power can convince who wish to wreak havoc on Saudi Arabia to cease their vicious schemes toward her. In other words, the acquisition by Saudi Arabia of these ballistic missiles threatens no one. It is a purely defensive act. It is the core of Saudi Arabia’s deterrence policy of conventional weapons.

Common sense dictates that Saudi Arabia has the right to defend itself utilizing whatever means or tools serviceable to these goals. Saudi Arabia can articulate its defense of its national interest by developing and adding ballistic missiles to its arsenal of sophisticated weaponry. These ballistic missiles are a broad and interpretive account of Saudi national security and strategy. They will convince both defense and national security scholars and officials of the need of Saudi Arabia to possess and own them.

It is not difficult to determine who is causing troubles in the Gulf region. Iran has embarked on a course to destabilize the Islamic World through its radicalism and reckless actions. It has employed several of its war proxies to spread chaos in the Middle East. Worse, it has targeted Saudi Arabia specifically to harm its security and devastate its economy and to revenge from its visible military power. The war in Yemen, for instance, is operated by Iran through their ally the Houthi militia. Shamefully, they have been targeting many critical infrastructure facilities such as military and civilian airports through the launching of numerous rocket attacks against them. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher and Middle East specialist, “What would have happened if one of those ballistic missiles would have killed many hundreds or if it would have killed a high-level royal family member? Would then Saudi Arabia believe that now we have the tools, we have those advanced arms, and Iran does not have them?”

Saudi Ara while retaining a policy of self-restraint has the capability to counterattack these coward riads against its territory. Moreover, it is appearing that those who criticize Saudi Arabia are limited in the range of their thoughts. They speak only of what is found in the media that tolerates if not encourages regrettably Iran’s bad behavior. However, people in Saudi Arabia have entrusted their leaders to take whatever action they deem appropriate to defend the Kingdom including the procurement of ballistic missiles.

On the other hand, critics of Saudi’s buildup of ballistic missiles are remiss on how sophisticated and balanced Saudi Arabia’s policy of arms purchase is. Saudi Arabia has announced and is committed to a policy of the diversification of its arms purchase. While it is cooperating with China in the filed of ballistic missiles it has a wide range cooperation with the United States, militarily speaking. The analyst can cite many examples: Saudi Arabia and America are building overland supply routes as storage facilities in western Saudi Arabia; The Saudi Ministry of Defense has released the pictures of a new radar system whose elements include Patriot, HAWK, Shahine(Crotale), and Skyguard; Arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia in 2014-2018 embraced 56 combat aircraft from the United States, and 38 from the United Kingdom, and they were equipped with cruise missile and other guided weapons; Saudi Arabia will purchase in the period from 2019 till 2023 afigure of 737 armored vehicles from Canada, five frigates from Spain and short-range ballistic missiles from Ukraine; In January 2018, the Pentagon announced that it had awarded a $193 million dollars contract to Sikorsky to supply Saudi Arabia with 9 UH-60M helicopters; In November 2021, Saudi Arabia has been cleared by the United States Government to add to its arsenal the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) designed by Raytheon; In December 2021, Saudi Arabia will be modernizing its fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, by signing a $397.9 U.S. million dollars contract; In November 2021, the Biden Administration has agreed to a new $650 million dollars arms sale to Saudi Arabia, which will include 280 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles. It will be used as part of Saudi Arabia’s anti-air defense systems; In October 2017, during King Salman’s visit to Moscow, the Saudi Government announced that it would be buying the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems; In August 2021, Saudi Arabia signed a defense agreement with the Russian Federation; Statistics indicate that Saudi arms imports from the United States from the years 2008-2018 totaled  $13.72 billion dollars, or 59.6% of its arms imports, and in the year 2018 alone the figures were $3.35 billion dollars, or 88.0% of its of arms imports.

As a country, Saudi Arabia has all the sovereignty over its land to protect its territory. Therefore, Saudi Arabia’s strategic calculations are independent, resisting any pressure from whatever outside power or entity. Furthermore, there are many grounds for a sound Saudi strategy. These ballistic missiles are not a secondary strategy, but they are ascertained as a component of a strategic triad that encompasses air force, an anti-air defense system and medium-range and highly accurate missiles. Thus, Saudi Arabia strategy is one of sophistication. Hopefully, the introduction of these weapons will be the long-term solutions to the security dilemma of the Gulf region.

Strategy is made up of dynamics and not necessarily conflicting postures. Saudi Arabia’s strategy in this case of the buildup of ballistic missiles is more direct and forcible. Saudi Arabia applies strategy to the facts of life. Ballistic missiles if deployed will be presented as determining features of a security situation that will have the adequate probation to deter Iran or any enemy or aggressor. Despite the arms buildup, much, however, remains to be done in the fields of security for among the many actions of sabotage Iran has been engaged in, there are many dangerous associations of Iran’s strategy since it is the world’s biggest sponsor of state terrorism.

Permanently, Saudi Arabia has resisted the nuclear option. Iran’s threats are self-evident facts to anyone living in the Middle East and especially in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia’s policies are balanced. Iran is the country that escalates the arms race. Ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia is a catastrophic development. In fact, it seems that those who advocate such a narrow view are withdrawing from the awful experience and the ugly reality that to prevent Saudi Arabia from procuring the weapons it needs, a doom scenario of the Middle East under an Iranian hegemony will take place. Such a disastrous recommendation is no substitute for Iran not to curb its arms buildup with its multitudes of negative strategic ramifications.

Saudi’s ballistic missiles are a valuable contribution to the security of the Gulf. They are an enhancement to the strategic attributes of the Carter Doctrine that stipulated as early as January 1980 that,

“An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”

Iran’s actions bear equal evidence that they are sabotaging the area of the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia has no preconceptions which prevent her from looking straight at the facts and recognizing what is actually there in terms of the bad intentions on the part of many countries to her. Its leadership has insight, intelligence, learning, and lucidity in promulgating a certain strategic and military doctrine. For the sake of those who seek the stability of the Gulf, please, do not consider Saudi’s ballistic missiles policy as a hastened or a haphazard policy. It is a well-deliberate strategy to make the whole world safe.

 Writer and Political analyst *