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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Saudi Arabia
Index
Any Saudi male citizen--including citizens who had been
naturalized for at least five years--could apply for training as
an officer if he met the physical and mental standards. Most
officer candidates attended military preparatory schools in
Riyadh and other cities, where they received free tuition if they
committed themselves to attend a military college upon
graduation. The King Abd al Aziz Military Academy was the
principal source of second lieutenants for the army. Designed for
a capacity of 1,500 cadets, this modern facility was a selfcontained small city about forty kilometers from Riyadh. The
curriculum required three years of study, with successful
completion leading to a bachelor of military science degree and a
commission. After graduation the new second lieutenants attended
a branch school for specialization in infantry, artillery, armor,
ordnance, airborne units, the engineers, communications, military
police, or administration. Officers in mid-career competed for
places at the Command and Staff College at Riyadh to earn a
master of military science degree, a required step toward
promotion to the senior ranks. Selected officers also attended
higher military colleges in the United States and other
countries.
A network of army schools trained NCOs in branch and
specialized services. Basic training of enlisted personnel was
conducted by Saudi NCOs, but most subsequent training was carried
out with the assistance of foreign military personnel or
specialists under contract.
Science graduates of technical institutions and universities
could obtain direct commissions as second lieutenants. In
September 1990, the king issued a directive opening military
training programs to all male university graduates without
distinction as to geographical and tribal balance, which had been
factors in the past.
Air force flight training took place at the King Faisal Air
Academy at Al Kharj. The flight training consisted of a twentyseven -month course that began with intensive instruction in the
English language. British instructors under contract to British
Aerospace (BAe--formerly the British Aircraft Corporation) held
most of the faculty positions at the air academy as well as at
the Technical Studies Institute at Dhahran, where Saudi aircraft
technicians were trained.
After successful completion of primary training, cadets were
assigned for several months of advanced training on British
Strikemasters and Hawks, which had sufficient avionics and
weapons for alternate use as light daytime interceptors.
Prospective transport pilots and F-15 pilots were sent to the
United States for advanced training.
A number of naval technical and training facilities were
built with United States guidance. Much of the United States
Navy's training in connection with its equipment deliveries,
including that for enlisted men, was conducted at San Diego and
at other United States training installations. In the 1980s,
training and advisory responsibilities increasingly shifted to
France, linked to the delivery of major ship units.
The Marine Training Institute at Jiddah, founded in 1982, had
a capacity of 500 officers and NCO students. Officers could earn
specialized degrees in mechanical, electrical, or electronic
engineering, general science, or military science. The general
course for NCOs was of twenty-six months' duration.
Data as of December 1992
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