The Saudi military could not protect a prized asset — oil installations — from an attack by low-flying cruise missiles that caused a significant spike in crude oil prices.
www.nytimes.com
"While military officials say it is impossible to completely protect fixed targets, such as oil fields, from all aerial attacks over a large area, the fact that Saudi Arabia has multiple and often competing entities responsible for air defense meant there was little or no coordination within the Saudi defense complex. "
"Four American military officers who have worked on training programs with the Saudi military described their frustration with Saudi counterparts. The Saudi military, they said, does not have the same kind of enlisted personnel corps that forms the backbone of the American military, and many officers rise because of patronage and connections to the Saudi royal family."
"During one episode three years ago, American intelligence officials gave their Saudi counterparts the location of 30 Houthi insurgents who had crossed the border and entered the kingdom. But the Saudis were unable to muster anyone to go after them, according to a former senior Defense Department official. The insurgents stayed in Saudi territory for eight hour"
"For example, American officials said, the Saudi Air Force does not require the kind of sustained training, with mandatory monthly flying hours"
“For the Saudi military, it’s been about having prestige items, having a glitter force, without having the skill of being an effective military force.”
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