Prince Sultan’s conversation with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat a couple of days ago gave me the opportunity to bring up a number of sensitive subjects. In my discussion, I was helped by what had been said earlier by my colleague Hasin Al-Binayyan who had also sought honest answers to these questions.
Following are some of our questions. Is there any fear about increasing the size of the armed forces? What about the astronomical sums of money paid by the Saudis to procure arms? The presence of foreign military forces in the Gulf? Foreign warplanes which use Saudi airspace? And what about the failure of the Gulf States to establish an effective unified defense policy?
The candid discussion by Prince Sultan allows for interjection and comment upon each of the individual topics. Rumors for a long time have been current that summoning foreign powers to the region is much better and safer than expanding the size and strength of the country’s armed forces.
The fact is that for a long time, the region has accommodated foreign experts and military personnel assigned to training and maintenance. The sophisticated weapons that all Arab armies possess necessitate this collaboration and this presence.
As for the Kingdom’s army, it has been increased in both quantitative and qualitative terms. We should not forget that in the past many of its members were illiterate. Today, however, that is not the case; there are military colleges and civilian universities supplying the armed forces with educated soldiers and officers. Because of an increased desire among citizens to enlist, the army can now demand higher qualifications of its members. This is the case throughout the Kingdom’s military.
In this regard, Prince Sultan said that the objective was to reach a reasonable number of military personnel without militarizing society or increasing military numbers to equal those of Iraq — which is now a state serving an army instead of an army serving a state. The army of the US, for example, consists of 2 million out of a total population of 270 million. Iraq’s army, on the other hand, numbers some 1 million out of a population of less than 20 million. The relatively small size of the US Army did not affect its strength or its power while at the same time, Iraq’s proportionally larger army did not strengthen it.
The region’s tendency to have large armies and to engage in arms races is one of the main reasons for regional wars which have weakened the economy, hindered production and prevented development. Today, most countries are trying to reduce their armies as most armies have little work and are, in fact, a financial burden on the government.
I believe, Prince Sultan continued, that the balance between regular defense needs and other development needs is one of the secrets of the Kingdom’s success. Another point to be made is that Saudi Arabia has the most powerful air force in the Arab World. Its armed forces are less than half of that of any country which has the same population.
The militarization of society is harmful and the weakening of defenses is harmful as well; it is thus imperative to have a balance between the two. Fortunately, the military establishment has the ability to contribute to the social good in peacetime if the military is properly developed. This is most evident by the advancement in the civil sector due to military advancements in the fields of aviation and communication.
