Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Royal Guard of Oman (RGO); Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (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 voluntary military service; no conscription (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
10.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
8.8% of GDP (2019)
8.2% of GDP (2018)
12.8% of GDP (2017)
16% of GDP (2016)
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 Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) have approximately 40,000 total active troops (26,000 Army, 4,000 Navy; 4,000 Air Force; 6,000 Royal 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 SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly Europe and the US; since 2010, the UK is the leading provider of armaments to Oman, followed by the US (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)
