Analysis: “Saudi Defense Shake-Up Changes Minister and Ministry”

In a Washington Institute for Near East Policy Policy Alert,  Simon Henderson analyzes the changes to the Saudi Ministry of Defense ushered in by the appointment of Prince Salman as minister of defense. Prince Khaled accepted a lower position in the ministry, while Prince Abdulrahman was “relieved” of his position as vice minister of defense. Henderson writes that “the role of defense minister in Saudi Arabia is enormously powerful and, at least in the past, hugely rewarding on a personal level as well,” citing the personal wealth that comes with the position.

With regards to Prince Salman, Henderson argues that his promotion “will firm up his reputation as a likely future monarch after King Abdullah.” Furthermore, Henderson predicts that he “will likely be welcomed across the world by generations of foreign ambassadors to Riyadh, who generally perceived him as easier to deal with and more modern in outlook than other senior princes.”

In addition to its new leader, the ministry’s role will also change, as it will transform from the Ministry of Defense and Aviation to the Ministry of Defense, delegating control over aviation to the “newly created independent General Commission of Civil Aviation.” Salman’s appointment means that he will be the point of contact for the U.S.-Saudi negotiations of a $60 billion defense deal struck last year.