Saudi Arabian National Guard
The
Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG, also known as
White Army) is one of five branches of the
Saudi Arabian
Defence Forces. It serves both as defence force against external threats and as a security force against internal threats. Its duties include protecting the royal family, guarding against
coups, protecting strategic facilities and resources, and protecting the Holy Places of
Mecca and
Medina.It is both a standing force of 25,000, with a reserve of 40,000 and a tribal
militia of 25,000. The SANG is the
King's private army consisting of personnel drawn from tribes loyal to the King and Royal Family. It is always commanded by a high ranking member of the royal family, usually a
Crown Prince. It consists of a mobile force of two mechanized brigades and four motorized infantry brigades. The militia portion consists of around 24 battalions of
fowj, tribal warriors on "retainer". The force was extensively reorganized and retrained by the
Vinnel Corporation (using over a thousand US
Vietnam War veterans) in the
1980s and performed well in the
Gulf War/
Operation Desert Storm especially in the
battle for Khafji.
The SANG was founded as the successor to the
Ikhwan, the tribal army of Abdul al Aziz
ibn Saud. The Ikhwan had helped Abd al Aziz conquer the Arabian peninsula and take it from
Ottoman Turkey in
World War I. However, the Ikhwan committed many excesses and atrocities not just on Turks but on other Arabs as well. The various tribal groups of the Ikhwan also had a tendency to go off and do their own things and thus needed to be brought under a more centralized control. The SANG was also known as the White Army during this time due to the wearing of traditional Arab dress instead of uniforms.
The SANG's communications and chain of Command is completely separate from regular Saudi Arabian military channels with a senior member of the royal family as its head. Prince Amir Abd Allah commanded the SANG for three decades since 1962 and three of his sons held high positions within the organization. Its General Headquarters, located in
Riyadh, directly controls the three regional sectors and the training facilities and the King Abdul Aziz Independent Mechanized Brigade of four battalions.
The three Regional ( Eastern, Central and Western)sectors each command one or more mechanized or motorized brigades, several independent Security and
Military Police and logistical battalions, but also the irregular fowj battalions.
The SANG is, by tradition, issued equipment not issued to the regular military, it doesn't possess any tanks but does possess several thousand wheeled
armored fighting vehicles and
Armoured personnel carriers. It does possess its own helicopters and light aircraft and all the remaining types of military hardware to include artillery. When in modern uniforms personnel wear a green beret, the
Muslim color for purity. Many soldiers wear for everyday use the American desert style uniform, used in
Iraq.
*
Military of Saudi Arabia*
National Guard*
Saudi Arabia
