Ministry of Defense (Saudi Arabia)
The Ministry of Defense () is a Ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for the protection of national security, interests and sovereignty of the country from external threats as well as the working with all ministries of the state to achieve national security and stability. The current minister of defense is Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who was appointed on 23 January 2015. The Ministry includes the 5 service branches of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces: The Royal Saudi Land Force, The Royal Saudi Air Force, The Royal Saudi Naval Force, The Royal Saudi Air Defense  Force & the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force. In 2017, Saudi Arabia has ranked third in the world with military spending and by far the largest military spender in the Middle East. With an allocated budget of $69.4 billion representing 10% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Saudi Arabia replaced Russia, which ranked fourth in military spending according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). SIPRI also stated that Saudi Arabia is the most well-armed country in the Persian Gulf region in terms of its inventory of modern equipment.