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Article: Building up the armed forces. (MEED Special Report: Saudi Arabia)
- Article from:
- MEED Middle East Economic Digest
- Article date:
- November 23, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Building up the armed forces
THE Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and deployment of forces on the Saudi border brought home with a shock the inadequacy of the kingdom's defences against its northern neighbour. The 50,000-strong Saudi army, with no battle experience, was no match for the 1 million troops boasted by Baghdad, despite the billions of dollars Riyadh has spent over the years on advanced Western weaponry.
Riyadh's immediate response has been to rely on foreign troops deployed on its territory, but it is formulating a more viable policy for the longer term. This is expected to involve a massive rise in defence expenditure, with billions more dollars spent ...