The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strategic importance is driven by two key factors: religion and petroleum. It is the location of Islam's two most important holy places and the scene of Islam's annual pilgrimage. It plays an important role in the lives of over 1.6 billion Muslims, of which only roughly 15 percent are Arab. At a time when religion is a critical factor in global politics, the fact that the King of Saudi Arabia is called the "custodian of the two mosques" is not merely a title. Saudi Arabia's moderate regime is a key player in limiting the growth of extremism and terrorism. Religion and oil, however, are only two aspects of Saudi security. The fall of Saddam Hussein, and the destruction of Iraq's conventional military forces, has left a power vacuum in the northern Gulf that Iran is actively seeking to exploit. Saudi Arabia is the only country that is large enough and strong enough to underpin any regional security structure in the southern Gulf. It is the one southern Gulf country that can provide strategic depth to the other, smaller southern Gulf States-- which are minutes or seconds of flight time from Iran, and whose forces are far too small to defend themselves by acting alone.

"Published in cooperation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C."

Saudi Arabia's changing strategic dynamics -- The impact of the changing military balance in the Gulf -- The Saudi national security apparatus -- Saudi military spending and arms imports -- Saudi military manpower -- The Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLFs) -- The Saudi National Guard -- The Saudi Navy -- The Saudi Air Force -- Saudi land-based air defenses -- Iran's uncertain threat, Saudi missile forces, and the possibility of Saudi weapons of mass destruction -- Saudi Arabia's internal security forces -- The Saudi institutional approach to counterterrorism -- The religious, political, economic, and educational aspects of Saudi national security : "soft" counterterrorism -- Putting Saudi national security in perspective.