"Why Saudi Arabia Needs The AWACS" CSC 1987 SUBJECT AREA General "WHY SAUDI ARABIA NEEDS THE AWACS" SULIMAN E. AL HASSOON, MAJ ROYAL SAUDI AIR FORCE CG #1 COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE "WHY SAUDI ARABIA NEEDS THE AWACS" First of all, what is the AWACS? The AWACS or better known as the E-3A is a modified Boeing 707-320B aircraft with added surveillance radar, computer and communication equipment. It provides an overall air surveillance capability with command control, a communication function, and can detect and track aircraft at high and low altitude, on both land and water. The E-3A airborne warning and control system (AWACS) provides real time and long range target detection, identification, and tracking. The E-3A normally operates at an altitude of 29,000 feet and a cruise speed of 0.72 MACH. The "AWACS" can fly up to 40,000 feet altitude but its radar elevation angle is optimized for operations at 29,000 feet. It can fly for approximately 11 hours without inflight refueling, and up to 22 hours with refueling and an augmented crew. The normal crew of 17 consists of 4 flight crew members and 13 mission crew members. This crew can be augmented as necessary. At the beginning of 1980 Saudi Arabia felt in great necessity to obtain the AWACS. For a very valuable reason that the country found itself surrounded by either a communist or a pro-Soviet alliance. In 1967 South Yemen gained their independence from England and became a pro-Soviet satellite and the government became a communist party. In 1978 a coup in Afghanistan led to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In the same year the Shah of Iran was overthrown by Fundamentalists. On the other hand, Ethiopia which is across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia is a pro-Soviet and Communist regime. Secretary Buckley went to the Congress in 1981; he said "We confront every dangerous situation in the Persian Gulf today. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian revolution, the Iraq-Iran War, and an increased Soviet influence in Ethiopia and South Yemen are all indicative of the growing threat to U.S. and Western interests that is, posed by the Soviet Union and its proxies. We are convinced that providing Saudi Arabia with such air equipment will not only help it meet its own legitimate needs but will strengthen our own posture in the region and make it clear to both local government and to the Soviet leadership that the United States is committed to assist in preserving security and stability in Southwest Asia. "Department of State Bulletin 81-52",and that was assured by Senator Barry Goldwater, Repubican of Arizona, in an inverview in U.S. News and World Report. He replied "The danger is obvious all around the Saudi Arabian borders. Iran has on many occasions denounced Saudi Arabia and its government. There is a Marxist, Soviet-backed force only a short distance away, across the Red Sea in Ethiopia. South Yemen is being armed with Russian equipment--missiles, armored cars and tanks, and aircraft. What do these governments intend to do with those weapons? They are not interested in North Yemen. They are interested in threatening Saudi Arabia. So the AWACS has three implications: (A) political, (B) economic, and (C) regional defense. (A) Political: United States and Saudi Arabia relations remain close. The Saudis have consulted closely with the United States on a number of Middle East peace issues and continue to do so in the present. They have worked closely with the United States in efforts to institute the cease fire in Lebanon and to encourage stability. Their influence is enhanced by continuing heavy financial support of the Lebanese Government and to Jordan. Also they have been backing Egypt politically and financially so the AWACS sale brought more political views between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. (B) Economic. Saudi Arabia had estimated oil reserve at the end of 1985, 173 billion barrels enough to last almost 50 years. Saudi Arabia is second only to the Soviet Union in oil production and leads the rest of the world in oil reserves. It exports more than three times as much oil as its closest exporting rival, the Soviet Union. By comparison, the United States which ranks third in oil production and eighth in reserves is the top oil consuming country. Twenty-five percent of U.S. oil imports come from Saudi Arabia. Besides the oil trading with U.S. comes after oil. At present Saudi Arabia is the ninth largest world market for U.S. export. In 1984/1985, it was estimated at 6.5 billion in goods and another 1 billion in services. At present there are 480 U.S. firms doing business in Saudi Arabia, with over 40,000 Americans working there. By obtaining the AWACS Saudi Arabia will feel secure that its oil export to the West and importing the West goods are protecting in a very advanced technology surveillance. The U.S. also feels it necessary to assure a safe passage for trading with Saudi Arabia (97th Congress sessions). (C) Regional Defense: U.S. plans to protect vital western interests in the Near East/Southwest Asia region have changed dramatically in recent years. Saudi Arabia by obtaining the AWACS will increase security cooperation with U.S. in this critical region--a region which currently is subject to multiple strains. A perception by western-oriented nations in the region of encirclement by the Soviet Union and its allies due to increased Soviet military capability and a Soviet willingness to use military force to achieve its goals as demonstrated by its occupation of Afghanistan. The Reagan administration places its greatest emphasis to gain a strategic consensus with key western-oriented states in a region (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, The Sudan, Jordan, Somalia, Oman) that the major threat to their security is the Soviet Union. A staff from U.S. Congress visited in recent years those countries "Congress Staff Report No. 97th" and confirmed that there is a basis for developing a consensus on the Soviet threat. A credible capability to project U.S. military power into the region is required if the strategic consensus is to be implemented. This has required dramatic changes in U.S. defense policy which in precious decades relied on the British and later Iran to assume principle defense responsibilities in the Persian Gulf region. Because of recent Soviet gains, friendly states in the region now feel that without credible U.S. power projection capabilities they will be at the mercy of Soviet opportunism. Yet development of that U.S. capability has encountered several problems. For example, the United States has gained only limited access to military facilities in Oman, Samalia, Kenya and Egypt. In time of war if the United States were to attempt to defend Iran from Soviet attack, a U.S. Rapid Deployment Force could not hope to maintain defensive positions in Iran if the U.S. lost control of the skies over the Zagros mountains. Since U.S. aircraft carriers would be too vulnerable in the narrow Persian Gulf, the U.S. would depend heaviy on Saudi Air Bases with their AWACS for tactical air support of the deployed ground forces. Compatible Saudi military equipment and facilities would thus be extremely useful in minimizing the amount of support equipment that would accompany the air force units deploying to Saudi bases. The U.S. Indian Ocean fleet "Task Force 70" is stretched to its limits by logistics problems. Personnel fatigue and naval requirements elsewhere in the world, also the Rapid Deployment Force has serious air and sea lift problems that require time, money, and local equipment prepositioning to solve. The Reagan administration hopes that the AWACS in Saudi Arabia can help to solve some of these problems and that the U.S. will be in a stronger position. In addition, the Saudis understand that they cannot stand alone against the various threats they perceive. Saudis estimate that the kingdom, with all that buying, could defend itself against the Soviet Union for 2 or 3 days at the most. They crave a close military relationship with the United States. President Reagan wrote: "I am convinced that providing the AWACS to Saudi Arabia will improve the security of our friends, strengthen our own posture in the region and make it clear both to local governments and to the Soviet leadership that the United States is determined to assist in preserving security and stability in Southwest Asia." "Department of the States in October 1981." Conclusion: In this environment, Saudi Arabia finds itself threatened from a variety of sources. These threats are worsened by the Saudi recognition of its own limited military capability to defend its vast and coveted petroleum resources. As an anti-Communist country and as the largest oil producer in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to military threats arising out of the Iran-Iraq conflict, from radical states in the area and especially from the Soviet Union or Soviet inspired direct and indirect military action. In response to these threats the strong air defense system with advanced surveillance such as AWACS makes a major contribution to Saudi security and to the U.S. vital regional security objectives. Furthermore, the United States will achieve regional objectives as follows: - Continuation of stable and secure access to regional oil. - Prevention of the spread of Soviet influence. - Security of friendly country in the region. - Demonstration of U.S. concerns and resolve in supporting overall regional security. By these arguments, it is hoped that the Saudi requirement for the AWACS aircraft has been fully justified.
