Saudi Arabian Army The Saudi Arabian Army ( ) , also called Royal Saudi Land Force ( ) , is a branch of the Saudi Armed Forces . The total number of active troops is estimated to be 150 , 000 The Chief of the Saudi General Staff until 2011 was Field Marshal Saleh Al - Muhaya . History . 1923 is considered to be the birth year of the Saudi Army , as the modern Saudi Arabia have been Unified and founded as a single state . After the discovery of oil and the meeting between King Abdulaziz and the American President Franklin D . Roosevelt on February 14 , 1945 , the Americans became the new major ally of Saudi Arabia . Other events that led to an expansion of the Saudi Army were the Arab - Israeli conflict in 1948 , the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the subsequent fears of possible Shia ' s actions and in the last years the first Gulf War in 1990 . In the year 2000 , Saudi Arabia ' s government spent billions of dollars to expand the Saudi Forces including the Saudi Army . Wars involving Saudi Army : Structure . The combat strength of the Saudi Army consists of 3 armoured brigades , 5 mechanized infantry brigades , three light motorized rifle brigades , and one airborne brigade . It also has five independent artillery battalions and an aviation command . The Saudi Army deployed the 12th Armoured Brigade and 6th Mechanized Brigade at King Faisal Military City in the Tabuk area . It deployed the 4th Armoured Brigade , and 11th Mechanized Brigade at King Abdul Aziz Military City in the Khamis Mushayt area . It deployed the 20th Mechanized Brigade and 8th Mechanized Brigade at King Khalid Military City near Hafr al Batin . The 10th Mechanized Brigade is deployed at Sharawrah , which is near the border with Yemen and about 150 kilometers from Zamak . Despite the addition of a number of units and increased mobility achieved during the 1970s and 1980s , the army ' s personnel complement has expanded only moderately since a major buildup was launched in the late 1960s . The army has been chronically understrength , in the case of some units by an estimated 30 to 50 percent . These shortages have been aggravated by a relaxed policy that permitted considerable absenteeism and by a serious problem of retaining experienced technicians and noncommissioned officers ( NCOs ) . The continued existence of a separate national guard also limited the pool of potential army recruits . Armor A typical Saudi armoured brigade has an armoured reconnaissance company , three tank battalions with 42 tanks each , a mechanized infantry battalion with 54 AIFVs / APCs , and an artillery battalion with 18 self - propelled guns . It also has an army aviation company , an engineer company , a logistic battalion , a field workshop , and a medical company . Mechanized The five mechanized brigades consists of one tank battalion , three mechanized infantry battalions , an artillery battalion , and a support battalion . A typical Saudi mechanized brigade has an armoured reconnaissance company , one tank battalion with 42 tanks , three mechanized infantry battalions with 54 AIFVs / APCs each , and an artillery battalion with 18 self - propelled guns . It also has an army aviation company , an engineer company , a logistic battalion , a field workshop , and a medical company . It has 24 anti - tank guided weapons launchers and four mortar sections with a total of eight mortars . Infantry Each infantry brigade consists of three motorized battalions , an artillery battalion , and a support battalion . Army brigades should not be confused with Saudi Arabian National Guard brigades . Light motorized infantry brigades include the 17th , 18th , and 19th . Airborne The Airborne Brigade is normally deployed near Tabuk . The Airborne Brigade has two parachute battalions and three Special Forces companies . Saudi Arabia is expanding its Special Forces and improving their equipment and training to help deal with the threat of terrorism . The Special Forces have been turned into independent fighting units to help deal with terrorists , and report directly to Prince Sultan . Artillery Battalions The separate Royal Guard Regiment consists of three light infantry battalions .