September 21, 2026, 3:02 pm
So…it’s been an eventful few weeks from Riyadh’s perspective which I think makes it time to finally take a look at the Kingdom and its military.
And so amidst the fighting in Yemen, the attack on the East-West pipeline and reported attacks against Riyadh itself, let’s talk about the military Saudi Arabia has built.
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Reading and Sourcing (Partial)
Unless otherwise indicated, personnel and equipment counts are per Military Balance 2026
Vision 2030 – 2025 Annual report
https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/annual-reports
IISS – A. H. Cordesman Saudi Military Forces and the Gulf (1999)
https://www.csis.org/analysis/saudi-military-forces-and-gulf
CSIS – Renewed Iran War would test diminished interceptor inventories
https://www.csis.org/analysis/renewed-iran-war-would-test-diminished-interceptor-inventories
CSIS – Last Rounds Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War Ceasefire
https://www.csis.org/analysis/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire#h2-a-methodological-primer-on-missile-calculations
IISS – Shopping for sea power, Saudi Arabia’s naval transformation
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2025/10/shopping-for-sea-power-saudi-arabias-naval-transformation/
Reporting on recent attacks or claimed attacks on the KSA (including the East-West pipeline and the Houthi advance in Yemen
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwly5d9v7r43o
https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-saudi-shipping-mandeb-8c18d82c109a8ea91347ce53c0096c53
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/10/violence-erupts-in-yemen-again-why-it-matters-globally-and-how-it-is-linked-to-the-us-iran-war
Saudi F-35 purchase FMS and reporting
https://www.state.gov/releases/bureau-of-political-military-affairs/2026/09/kingdom-of-saudi-arabia-f-35-lightning-ii-joint-strike-fighter-aircraft
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-state-department-oks-possible-243-billion-military-aircraft-sale-saudi-arabia-2026-09-17/
Reporting on claimed DF-15 hit in Yemen
https://www.twz.com/news-features/saudi-arabia-appears-to-have-used-its-secretive-stash-of-ballistic-missiles-for-the-first-time
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/debris-found-in-yemen-suggests-saudi-arabia-fired-its-first-chinese-missile-dfb8d9fe
CSIS — How does Saudi Arabia see war with Iran?
https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-does-saudi-arabia-see-war-iran
Reporting on the Iraq Coup (from the Guardian archives)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/26/iraq-revolution-ousts-monarchy-1958
Source for Saudi Population Pyramid
https://populationpyramids.org/saudi-arabia
Reporting on 2025 Yemen bombing incident
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-bombs-yemen-port-weapons-shipment-uae-issues-warning-abu-rcna251477
https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/yemen-air-strike-clashes-uae-saudi-arabia-f2jrg22mm
Reporting on Saudi Budget Deficit
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/6/saudi-arabia-posts-33-5bn-budget-deficit-amid-drop-in-oil-sales
Remember the Saudi GP being cancelled?
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/bahrain-and-saudi-arabian-grands-prix-will-not-take-place-in-april.1hnqllVG85RSt8pbFc5Ivx
Included Reports including the discussed PAC-3 Expenditure figure
Saudi Arabia Used 86% of Its Patriot Missile Stockpile Due to War With Iran
https://www.reuters.com/world/what-is-patriot-missile-system-why-are-supplies-depleted-worldwide-2026-08-07/
Caveats & Comments:
Nothing in this episode should be taken to represent an opinion or advice on any legal matter, including with regards to the potential application of domestic or international law to any of the events described or alluded to.
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Intro
00:02:30 — What Am I Talking About?
00:02:56 — Strategic Context
00:23:33 — the Saudi Armed Forces
00:25:28 — Air Power
00:34:27 — the Saudi Armed Forces
00:39:57 — the Saudi National Guard
00:45:28 — the Air Defence Force
00:47:55 — the Missile Force
00:49:34 — the Navy
00:51:31 — Issues and Challenges
00:58:05 — What Would You Change?
01:05:53 — Channel Update
Content Creator – Perun
