Security, Aerospace & Defence

In 2014 Saudi Arabia spent 35% of its budget on defence, equivalent to roughly $80.7bn. The coming years are likely to see increased emphasis on homeland security in three areas: securing the Kingdom’s northern and southern borders, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism. The Kingdom remains focused on developing a sophisticated domestic defence industry, investing heavily to this end in research and development, with various agreements in place between defence companies and Saudi research institutions. These are complemented by a number of collaborative projects in defence-related disciplines that are being forged by leading US universities and their Saudi counterparts. Meanwhile, the offset rules in place ensure that Saudi companies and workers can benefit from the expertise offered by foreign firms that win tenders in Saudi Arabia’s defence sector. This chapter contains interviews with Prince Turki AlFaisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman, King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies; and Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister, Saudi Arabian National Guard.