Saudi Arabia vs. Jordan
Military
| Saudi Arabia | Jordan | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | 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 | Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Army (includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior: General Directorate of Gendarmerie Forces, Public Security Directorate (2020) |
| Military service age and obligation | 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) | 17 years of age for voluntary male military service (women can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF); initial service term 2 years, with option to reenlist for 18 years; conscription abolished in 1991; however, in 2020, Jordan announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service for jobless men aged between 25 and 29 with 12 months of service, made up of three months of military training and nine months of professional and technical training; in 2019, announced a voluntary 4-month National Military Service program for men and women aged between 18-25 years who have been unemployed for at least six months; service would include one month for military training with the remaining three months dedicated to vocational training in the sectors of construction and tourism (2020) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 7% of GDP (2020 est.) 8% of GDP (2019) 9.5% of GDP (2018) 11.1% of GDP (2017) 10.8% of GDP (2016) | 5% of GDP (2020 est.) 4.7% of GDP (2019) 4.7% of GDP (2018) 4.8% of GDP (2017) 4.6% of GDP (2016) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | 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 | the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) have approximately 90,000 active personnel (77,000 Army; 500 Navy; 12,500 Air Force); est. 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | 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) | the JAF inventory is comprised of a wide mix of imported weapons, mostly second-hand equipment from Europe, the Gulf States, and the US; since 2010, the Netherlands and the US are the leading suppliers of military hardware to Jordan (2020) |
| Military deployments | est. 2,500-5,000 Yemen (varies depending on operations, which continued into 2021) (2021) | 100 Mali (MINUSMA) (Jan 2021) |
Source: CIA Factbook
