United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy Forces, Air Force, Presidential Guard; Ministry of Interior: Critical Infrastructure Coastal Patrol Agency (CICPA) (2021)
Ministry of Defense: Royal Saudi Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces (includes marines, special forces, naval aviation), Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Strategic Missiles Force; Ministry of the National Guard (SANG); Ministry of Interior: Border Guard, Facilities Security Force (2021)
note: SANG (also known as the White Army) is a land force separate from the Ministry of Defense that is responsible for internal security, protecting the royal family, and external defense
Military service age and obligation
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 17 years of age for male volunteers with parental approval; 24-month general service obligation, 16 months for secondary school graduates; women can volunteer to serve for 9 months regardless of education (2019)
17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription; in 2018, women were allowed to serve as soldiers in the internal security services under certain requirements; in 2019, the Saudi Government agreed to allow women to join the armed forces and serve as soldiers up to the rank of non-commissioned officer (2021)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
5.2% of GDP (2017)
6% of GDP (2016)
7% of GDP (2015)
5.8% of GDP (2014)
6.1% of GDP (2013)
7% of GDP (2020 est.)
8% of GDP (2019)
9.5% of GDP (2018)
11.1% of GDP (2017)
10.8% of GDP (2016)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces have approximately 65,000 total active personnel (45,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 12,000 Presidential Guard) (2021)
the Saudi military forces have about 225,000 active troops; approximately 125,000 under the Ministry of Defense (75,000 Land Forces; 14,000 Naval Forces; 36,000 Air Force/Air Defense/Strategic Missile Forces) and approximately 100,000 in the Saudi Arabia National Guard (SANG) (2021)
note: SANG also has an irregular force (Fowj), primarily Bedouin tribal volunteers, with a total strength of approximately 25,000 men
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the UAE Armed Forces inventory is comprised of wide variety of mostly modern imported equipment; since 2010, the UAE has acquired military equipment from more than 20 countries with the US as the leading supplier by far, followed by France and Russia (2020)
the inventory of the Saudi military forces, including the SANG, includes a mix of mostly modern weapons systems from the US and Europe; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of armaments, followed by France and the UK; Saudi Arabia is the world's largest arms importer (2020)
Military deployments
estimates vary; reportedly a few thousand remain in Yemen (2021)
est. 2,500-5,000 Yemen (varies depending on operations, which continued into 2021) (2021)
