Saudi Arabian National Guard

Saudi Arabian National Guard
الحَرَس الوَطنيّ
al-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī
Flag of the Ministry of National Guard
Founded1910 (1910) [a]
CountrySaudi Arabia
AllegianceCTHM
BranchArmy, Air force
TypeNational guard
RoleReserve army
Counter-insurgency
Size153,000 [b]
Part ofMinistry of National Guard
Regional HQRiyadh (central)
 Western Province
 Eastern Province
Nickname(s)"The White Army", "SANG"
Anniversaries23 September ;92 years ago
Websitewww.sang.gov.sa
Commanders
Supreme commanderSaudi Arabia Prince Abdullah bin Bandar
Commander-in-ChiefSaudi Arabia Maj. Gen Mohammed bin Zaid Al-Qahtani
Notable
commanders
Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
  • Minister (1963–2010)

The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) (Arabic: الحَرَس الوَطنيّ, romanizedal-Ḥaras al-Waṭanī), also known as the White Army, is one of the three major branches of the military forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[5]

The national guard is under the administrative control of the Ministry of National Guard, instead of the Ministry of Defence. It differs from the regular Saudi Arabian Army in being forged out of tribal elements loyal to the House of Saud and tasked with protecting the royal family from internal dangers such as a coup d'état.[6]

  1. ^ The Ikhwan of Najd and Their Role in the Creation of the Sa'udi Kingdom, 1910–1930. John S. Habib. 1977. ISBN 978-90-04-05757-9.
  2. ^ "List of countries by number of reserve personnel". Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Mapping the Saudi State, Chapter 5: The Saudi Arabian National Guard" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  4. ^ "السعودية.. مزايا لنحو ربع مليون عسكري في الحرس الوطني" (in Arabic). 2019. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  6. ^ Anthony H. Cordesman (2009). Saudi Arabia: National Security in a Troubled Region. ABC-CLIO. pp. 175–7. ISBN 9780313380761. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015.


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