American research centers and think tanks are active in examining future trends, especially the defense strategy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This comes in the wake of the interview with the Saudi Crown Prince, during which he clearly revived the issue of sovereignty, security, and defense, and extended the hand of dialogue to all countries in the region, according to a clear mechanism and indivisible guarantees, within the framework of a comprehensive solution to outstanding matters.
Despite the clarity of the Saudi position, we see attempts to skip over the details and instead highlight broad headlines, such as the slogan of “normalization” and its political and propaganda implications. The current US administration is trying to exploit this an electoral card, especially since Saudi Arabia carries great political and symbolic weight as the most important emerging player in the region and the most developed among the G20 members.
Nonetheless, Riyadh’s message is clear. The Kingdom is seeking support for its peaceful civilian nuclear program and to expand the scope of its trade within a well-defined free trade agreement, and to obtain concessions, commitments and defense upgrades by Washington that include more of the most advanced military equipment.
This is a major challenge today if we compare two important contexts: the first is related to rapid transformations, giant projects, and the rising Saudi influence in the Middle East region. This requires a quick response. This is being met with complex and slow American bureaucracy, especially in the defense field, whether in regard to the decision-making or the production process, as described by the expert in military and security affairs in the Middle East, Grant Rumley, in a paper he wrote for the Washington Policy Institute.
Everyone knows that Congress can delay or complicate certain financing agreements for arms sales and enact measures to control their use. In fact, many reports criticize the issue of time management and delivery delays.
What is certain is that Saudi Arabia’s defense and security strategy is clear and can be referred to in the Vision 2030 document and the subsequent statements.
There is a plan to build an independent defense industrial base that is not affected by the problems of time and delivery, but which enjoys a greater degree of freedom. This can be achieved by increasing the spending on national armament and military equipment, and localizing the industry by up to 50 percent of the total spending, under the direct supervision of the Saudi Company for Military Industries (SAMI), and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI).
Saudi Arabia has also required all concerned foreign defense companies and their agents to open regional headquarters in the Kingdom starting in 2024.
The return of a reliable ally is a requirement for the United States today if it wants to come back to the region on the basis of the respect of sovereignties and joint agreements. It must also deal with Saudi Arabia as the most important actor in the region and the most influential on its economic and logistical future that relies closely on safe energy corridors.
Realizing this important aspect of the Saudi transformation should be the essence of dialogues and discussions in research centers and think tanks, instead of focusing on trivial issues, such as normalization. Today, there is a need for Riyadh, and a need above all else to think about peace with the new Saudi Arabia!
