Ministry of Defense (Saudi Arabia)

The Ministry of Defense (MoD; وزارة الدفاع) is a Ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for the protection of national security, interests and sovereignty of the country from external threats as well as the working with all ministries of the state to achieve national security and stability. The current minister of defense is Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, who was appointed on 27 September 2022. The Ministry includes the five service branches of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces: The Royal Saudi Land Force, The Royal Saudi Air Force, The Royal Saudi Naval Force, The Royal Saudi Air Defense Force and the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia has ranked third in the world with military spending and by far the largest military spender in the Middle East. With an allocated budget of $69.4 billion representing 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Saudi Arabia replaced Russia, which ranked fourth in military spending according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). SIPRI also stated that Saudi Arabia is the most well-armed country in the Persian Gulf region in terms of its inventory of modern equipment.

History

 * Military Affairs Administration – In 1929, A royal order was issued by King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, to create the Military Affairs Administration to deal with military issues and build a strong army. The army was organized into three units: machine gun, infantry and artillery units.
 * Defense Agency – In addition to the Military Affairs Administration, the Defense Agency was established by King Abdulaziz's order in 1934 as a requirement of the expansion and modernization where further detachments were created and distributed over the cities and seaports of the country.
 * General Staff Presidency – In 1939, the General Staff Presidency was established replacing the Military Affairs Administration.
 * Ministry of Defense and Aviation – In 1943, the Ministry of Defense was created replacing the Defense Agency, later in 1952, its name was changed to the Ministry of Defense and Aviation.
 * Ministry of Defense – In 2011, the Ministry of Defense and Aviation was renamed to be Ministry of Defense.

Ministers of Defense

 * Mansour bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (10 November 1943 – 2 May 1951)
 * Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (12 May 1951 – 1953)
 * Fahad bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1957 – 1960)
 * Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud (1960 – 22 October 1963)
 * Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (22 October 1963 – 22 October 2011)
 * Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (5 November 2011 – 23 January 2015)
 * Mohammed bin Salman (23 January 2015 – 27 September 2022)
 * Khalid bin Salman Al Saud (27 September 2022 – present)

Since the appointment of Sultan bin Abdulaziz as Minister of Defense in 1963, the powerful ministry has only changed hands thrice, and has been held by descendants of the Al Sudairi clan.

The ministry has led to bright careers for its holders. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz went on to become Second Deputy Prime Minister in 1982 and rose to the rank of Crown Prince in 2005. He served as Crown Prince until his death in 2011. His successor, Riyadh Governor Salman bin Abdulaziz became Second Deputy Prime Minister in 2011 and became Crown Prince in 2012. In 2015, Salman became the seventh King of Saudi Arabia, following King Abdullah's death.

Mohammed bin Salman's appointment as Minister of Defense in January 2015, marked the first time in over half a century that a grandson of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz had served in the position. In April 2015, Mohammed bin Salman became Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Prime Minister. In 2017, Mohammed bin Salman was elevated to the rank of Crown Prince and continued to hold the Ministry until his appointment as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia in 2022.