A spirit of optimism between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea

The modern units of the Saudi Navy.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (al-Mamlaka al-ʿarabīya as-saʿūdīya) is an absolute monarchy that occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The country, which has been undergoing a major social upheaval for several years, is one of the richest states in the world.

Saudi Arabia, which has a population of just under 37 million, has predominantly modern armed forces that are among the most powerful in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia is the largest military power on the Arabian Peninsula itself). The armed forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (al-Quwwāt al-musallaḥa al-malakiyya as-saʿūdiyya) have five branches, comprising the army, navy, air force, national guard, air defence and strategic missile forces. They have 227,000 personnel, including female soldiers since 2021.