The Saudi Arabian National Guard or SANG (aka White Army) is one of five branches or services of the Saudi Arabian Defence Forces/military. It serves both as defence force against external threats but as a security force against internal threats. It duties include protecting the royal family, guarding against coups,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 highranking 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 Hafar al Batin .

History

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 penninsula 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.

Command

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.

Equipment

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

See Also

• National Guard
• Saudi Arabia