Brief Analysis
Washington can do much to help the kingdom close its serious air defense gaps, whereas acquiring Russian S-400s would be militarily insufficient and strategically disastrous.
When Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov visited Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman on March 10, the London-based news outlet
Al-Arab reported that the S-400 air defense system “would be among the topics discussed in Riyadh, which needs advanced systems to counter Iranian threats.” The paper also characterized Lavrov’s Gulf tour as a Russian effort “to exploit Washington’s errors diplomatically, militarily, and economically.”
Indeed, the Biden administration has had to balance carefully between showing that it can advance human rights and avoiding moves that damage U.S. relations with Gulf governments. At the same time, Riyadh is looking to Washington for support amid sustained aerial threats from Iran and its regional proxies. If handled properly, the two issues can serve
Monday, 1 February, 2021 - 05:45
The Spears of Victory drill kicked off on Sunday. (SPA) Al-Dammam – Eman Al-Khattaf
The first joint military drills held at the Saudi Air Warfare Center at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in al-Dhahran kicked off on Sunday.
The Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Navy and the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces are taking part in the “Spears of Victory” exercise, which ends on February 11.
The Air Warfare Center was inaugurated in March 2020.
Head of the center, Khalid al-Harbi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the air force has spared no efforts in building the facility.
The drill will help boost the armed forces’ capabilities by raising their level of coordination, combat preparedness and joint work, he added.