Saudi Arabia launches military exercise with 20 nations

[Sdiver]

Need to keep an eye on this one ....

Saudi Arabia launches military exercise with 20 nations

(CNN)Saudi Arabia launched a massive military exercise that will include troops from 20 nations, state media reported Monday.

The drill, dubbed North Thunder, involves Arab and Muslim countries, according to the Saudi Press Agency. It's taking place in King Khalid Military City in northeastern Saudi Arabia.

The news agency did not provide much information on what the exercise entails but called it "the largest in the region's history." The agency said it will involve air, sea and land forces.
Will Saudi Arabia send ground troops to Syria?

In addition to Saudi Arabia, other participating nations include Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Kuwait, the Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania and Mauritius.

"North Thunder drills represent a clear message that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its brothers and friends of the participating countries stand united to confront all challenges and maintain peace and stability in the region," the agency said.

The announcement comes two months after Saudi Arabia said it will form a coalition of 34 nations to fight terrorism.

Saudi Arabia is part of a group striking ISIS militants in Syria, but its involvement in that U.S.-led campaign appears to be drawing down.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/middle...ses/index.html

[CAARNG 68W]

Pan-Arabism again?

[Airbornelawyer]

Several of those countries are not Arab. It seems more pan-Sunnism, or at least the Saudi version of Sunnism, as a counterweight to Shi'ite Iran and its allies and proteges, as well as rival Sunni camps like IS.

Traditionally, the sparsely populated but immensely wealthy Saudi Arabia, along with the other Gulf Arab states, turned to the Persian Gulf oil-dependent Western nations for assistance with their defense needs. I suppose they now are realizing more and more that these Western nations are less dependable and also trying to be less dependent on Gulf oil. At the same time, the demographic explosion which oil wealth brought to Saudi Arabia has made them less sparsely populated, and also gives them between 1-2 million excess military-aged males. Gotta find something for them to do.