Saudi Arabian National Guard

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National Guard fighters in the Second Gulf War

The Saudi Arabian National Guard ( Arabic الحرس الوطني, DMG al-Haras al-Watani or SANG - Saudi Arabian National Guard) , also called "White Army" (White Army) called, is one of the branches of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . These include the land forces , the air force , the navy and the national guard . The origins of the National Guard can be traced back to the radical Ichwān fighters who helped consolidate the power of King Abd al-Aziz on the Arabian Peninsula . The strength of the National Guard in 2015 was around 200,000 men.

The tasks of the National Guard include the protection of the royal family , the protection of the holy places ( Mecca and Medina ) as well as military operations inside, whereby it supports the police , e.g. B. in enforcing the ban on assembly in force in Saudi Arabia . The Saudi government uses the National Guard to suppress civil unrest and prevent coups, even beyond its own national borders.

National Guard vehicles at a parade

Thanks to extensive support from the United States and the United Kingdom , it has become a well-equipped and mobile unit. Saudi officials have expanded their duties well beyond that of a typical reservist group and deployed the National Guard to maintain order both domestically and abroad, as demonstrated by their interventionist role in containing the Bahraini democracy movement in 2011 .

On May 27, 2013, the National Guard was reorganized into a ministry and Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah was appointed minister. He held this office until November 4, 2017, when he was arrested on suspicion of corruption - among other things, on suspicion of misappropriating state funds. As Minister of the Saudi National Guard, Mutaib was replaced by Chaled bin Ajjaf al-Muqrin .

The National Guard has armaments from different countries. Military helicopters of various types ( attack helicopter and a..) Are from the United States (on the logo of the National Guard displayed are apparently a Swiss mowag piranha , plus a Kalashnikov - assault rifle crossed with a Scimitar ( saber ), and is located at the center of the logo, the Emblem of Saudi Arabia ), other weapons also from Germany .

Regional headquarters of the Saudi National Guard are in Riyadh, Jeddah and in the Eastern Province in the city of Dammam .

corruption

According to the whistleblower Ian Foxley , the company GPT in Riyadh , a subsidiary of the European aerospace and defense company Airbus , supplied the Royal Saudi National Guard with modern communications technology. 16 percent of the order total was used for bribes.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ↑ aljazeera.com: Saudi King Salman cements hold on power - accessed November 6, 2017
  2. ↑ The Keeper of the Holy Places has been the King of Saudi Arabia since 1932 .
  3. ↑ see also Program for the Foreign Secretary's Gulf Tour , October 27– November 2, 2015 (accessed November 6, 2017)
  4. ↑ alaraby.co.uk: Prince Charles unhappy promoting arms industry in Middle East (February 3, 2015), quote: "For Saudi Arabia alone, the UK Ministry of Defense is understood to have 240 civil servants and military personnel working to support the Contracts through the Ministry of Defense Saudi Armed Forces Program (MODSAP) and the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communication Project (SANGCOM). " (accessed on November 6, 2017)
  5. ↑ cf. Saudi troops in Bahrain: Ministry downplayed the invasion - taz.de, July 10, 2011 (accessed November 6, 2017)
  6. ↑ Mapping the Saudi State Chapter 5: The National Guard - adhrb.org (accessed November 6, 2017)
  7. ↑ King Abdullah transforms National Guard into ministry . In: Asharq Alawsat (archive version) , May 28, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2017. 
  8. ↑ Spiegel.de: Saudi Arabia's king dismisses ministers and strengthens the crown prince
  9. ^ Minister of National Guard, Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah removed from his position. In: Alarabiya. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017 .
  10. ↑ 11 Saudi Princes Among Dozens Arrested In Apparent Move To Boost King's Son - npr.org (accessed November 6, 2017)
  11. ↑ cf. tanks-encyclopedia.com (search: "Saudi LAV-M (National Guard)" etc.) - (accessed November 6, 2017)
  12. ↑ Dammam, Saudi Arabia , globalsecurity.org (accessed November 6, 2017)
  13. ↑ derpatriot.de: Whistleblower gives a lecture at the university (accessed on November 6, 2017)
  14. ↑ businessinsider.de: 'Give me 10 minutes. That was enough time for me to get out of the compound and lose the tail ': How a whistleblower escaped Saudi Arabia after uncovering an alleged bribery scheme at Airbus (accessed November 6, 2017)

literature

Web links

Commons : Saudi Arabian National Guard  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files