Go to Map of Saudi Arabia

Updated: March 2006

Sources:

1. This chart summarizes data available from public sources. Precise assessment of a state's capabilities is difficult because most weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs remain secret and cannot be verified independently.
2. Studies of nuclear proliferation do not identify Saudi Arabia as a country of concern. E.g., Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), US Congress, Technologies Underlying Weapons of Mass Destruction (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 12/93), p. 239. However, news media reports appeared in 1994 of a Saudi effort to acquire nuclear weapons from Iraq. The reports were based on allegations and documents provided by a former Saudi diplomat, Mohammed Khilewi, who sought asylum in the United States. Khilewi alleged that Saudi Arabia provided $5 billion in funding for Iraq's nuclear program during the 1980s in exchange for a nuclear weapon, and that Saudi Arabia had two undeclared nuclear research reactors. After obtaining asylum in the US, with the consent of Saudi Arabia, Khilewi's allegations never came to fruition. The allegation have not to date been confirmed by any other source, and US officials said they had no evidence of Saudi assistance to Iraqi nuclear development. Marie Colvin, "How an Insider Lifted the Veil on Saudi Plot for an 'Islamic Bomb," Sunday Times, 7/24/94. Steve Coll and John Mintz, "Saudi Aid to Iraqi A-Bomb Effort Alleged," Washington Post, 7/25/94. Paul Lewis, "Defector Says Saudis Sought Nuclear Arms," New York Times, 8/7/94. "Saudis Said To Have Aided Iraq's Nuclear Program," Christian Science Monitor, 7/25/94. An earlier report, which likewise remains unsubstantiated, alleged that Saudi Arabia may have received nuclear warheads from China in 1990 for its CSS-2 missiles. Jack Anderson and Dale Van Atta, "Do Saudis Have Nuclear Weapons?" Washington Post, 12/12/90, p. G15. Not listed as a signatory as of 17 April 2000, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom), Vienna. Atomic Energy Research Institute is in charge of drafting a national atomic energy plan and supervising the implementation of the plan; Conducting research in the field of nuclear technologies; Identifying manpower requirements in the area of atomic energy research; Training and developing manpower in the area of atomic energy research.[Online] http://www.kacst.edu.sa/kacst_departments/research_institutes/atomic_energy_inst/index.htm#Objectives: In an interview with AL HAWADETH, Prince Sultan second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation, when asked about nuclear armaments said, "We are a nation working for peace but we reserve the right to defend our country. We work towards procuring the weapons necessary to protect our country and this makes us put these weapons through live tests before we buy them, and we make them a shield to protect the safety of the Holy Shrines and the security of our citizens." September 10, 1999. [Online] http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/issues/19990910/feat4en.htm.
3. Office of Technology Assessment, p. 239. Saudi Arabia's CW preparations are reportedly limited to defensive equipment, including personal protective equipment, decontamination units, and chemical detectors. Shlomo Gazit, ed. The Middle East Military Balance 1993-1994 (Boulder: Westview Press, 1994), p. 419. However, there have been unconfirmed reports that chemical warheads were developed for Saudi Arabia's CSS-2 ballistic missiles. Duncan Lennox, ed., "CSS-2 (DF-3)," Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems Issue 24, 5/97. H.E. Ambassador Waleed ElKhereiji, "The Statement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the First Chemical Weapons Convention Review Conference," OPCW, 4/29/03, p. 3, [Online] http://www.opcw.org/cwcrevcon/doc/NAT/SaudiArabia.pdf. "Saudi Shura Council Endorses Ban on Chemical Weapons," Bahrain News Agency, 10/2/05.
4. OTA, p. 239. Graham S. Pearson, "The Threat of Deliberate Disease in the Twenty First Century," Biological Weapons Proliferation: Reasons for Concern, Courses of Action (Washington, DC: Henry L. Stimson Center, 1/98) Report No. 24, p. 26. "Saudi Arabia," Interpol, 9/8/05, [Online] http://www.interpol.int/public/bioterrorism/UNRes1540Laws/SaudiArabia.pdf. "Saudi Shura Council Endorses Ban on Chemical Weapons," Bahrain News Agency, 10/2/05.
5. "Country Inventory – In Service," and "Offensive Weapons, Saudi Arabia," Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems Issue 24, 5/97. Jim Mann, "U.S. Caught Napping by Sino-Saudi Missile Deal," Los Angeles Times, 5/4/88, pp. 1, 8-9. Because the CSS-2 missiles are not accurate enough to be used effectively against point targets with conventional munitions, analysts speculated that Saudi Arabia might seek nuclear warheads for the missiles. However, Saudi Arabia reportedly pledged in writing to the United States that it would not acquire unconventional warheads for the missiles. President George Bush certified in 5/89 that the United States had "no credible intelligence reporting indicating that Saudi Arabia possesses nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons," and noted Saudi commitment that the missiles would not carry nuclear or chemical warheads. The Saudi decision to join the NPT sought to underscore this assurance. "Saudi Arabia," Federation of American Scientists, 9/12/96, [Online] http://www.fas.org.irp/threat/missile/saudi.htm. "Saudi Arabia Decided to Sign the NPT," Nuclear News, 6/88, p. 90. "White House Statement on Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia," [Online] http://csdl.tamu.edu/bushlibrary/papers/#search. "Offensive Weapons Tables - Land-Based Ballistic Missiles," Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems [Online] http://www.janesonline.com
   "AMI International's "Missile Systems of the World" AMI International c.1999. Andrew Feickert, "Missile Survey: Ballistic and Cruise Missiles of Foreign Countries," CRS, 3/5/04, [Online] http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/report/crs/31999.pdf. Joshua Williams, "World Missile Chart," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2006, [Online] http://www.carnegieendowment.org/npp/ballisticmissilechart.cfm.
6. Lennox. "Saudi Arabia," Middle East Military Balance, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, 2/5/05, [Online] http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/balance/Saudia.pdf. "AGM-65 Maverick," Federation of American Scientists, 1/3/99, [Online] http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/agm-65.htm. "Exocet AM.39 / MM.40," Federation of American Scientists, 8/10/99, [Online] http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/exocet.htm.
7. Lennox. The Middle East Military Balance 1999-2000 (Tel Aviv: Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, 2000), pp. 319-334. Asked if there is a deal for "F-15" aircraft and if a Saudi military delegation had gone to the United States of America to discuss the deal, Prince Sultan said, 'currently, there is no deal.' 19 May 2000. http: //www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/ "AMI International's "Missile Systems of the World" AMI International c.1999, p.250, p.298, p.292. "Saudi Arabia," Middle East Military Balance, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, 2/5/05, p. 13. Anthony Cordesman, "The Military Balance in the Middle East: Assessing the Balance, Total Forces, Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers," CSIS, 2/19/04, p.75, [Online] http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/me_mb_gulf2.pdf.