Joint Defense Agreement: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, news & updates

[Desert]

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/greek-operated-air-defence-system-shoots-down-drones-over-saudi-2026-08-27/

Looks like the Greeks are already doing a lot of the heavy lifting in defending Saudi Arabia against drone attacks. Will they also be invited to join the pact or will Saudi Arabia ask them to leave along with their Patriots because Turkiye has problems with Greece ?

The Greek contigent in Saudi Arabia has again proven its worth.

Chronology and Operational History

• 2021 (Deployment): Greece and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral defense agreement. The Hellenic Air Force deployed a U.S.-made Patriot PAC-3 guided missile battery alongside roughly 130 personnel from the 350th Guided Missile Wing to the Yanbu region. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
• March 19, 2026: The contingent saw its first live-combat activation, successfully neutralizing two Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Western Saudi refineries. [1, 2]
• April 6, 2026: ELDYSA personnel intercepted and destroyed one Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using a single missile
• July 2026: The battery intercepted two ballistic missiles followed by two hostile UAVs a week later, both salvos launched by Houthi forces from Yemen targeting the Yanbu energy hub.
• August 27, 2026: In its most recent operation, the Greek-manned unit fired three missiles to help shoot down a swarm of hostile drones in coordination with Saudi air defense networks.

View attachment 212910

View attachment 212898


The question about leaving however is not just because of the recent pact between Saudi Arabia,Turkey and Pakistan. That's the latest development and it's mostly political. The left and far-left is screaming for Greece not to have any participation anywhere and the center and right are criiticizing the government for keeping a battery there,protecting a country that recently signed a mutual defence agreement with our enemy.

But there are a couple of other more important problems:

1.The Saudis were supposed to fund the upgrade of the contigent there and pay for all the expenses. Apparently,that hasn't happened.

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2.The missile inventory is being squandered for Saudis at a time when there's already a big line for Patriot missiles and big pressure for everyone to donate or sell to Ukraine.
Generally,even the Americans have a tough time replenishing their stocks.

The greek presence here didn't help at all in Yanbu since Aramaco facilities got targeted successfully on 27 august and before it on 24 august amzan oil tanker was targeted successfully

 

[Foinikas]

The greek presence here didn't help at all in Yanbu since Aramaco facilities got targeted successfully on 27 august and before it on 24 august amzan oil tanker was targeted successfully

Nah,I'll trust official sources.

 

[flyingorca]

 

[hyperman]

The Greek contigent in Saudi Arabia has again proven its worth.

Chronology and Operational History

• 2021 (Deployment): Greece and Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral defense agreement. The Hellenic Air Force deployed a U.S.-made Patriot PAC-3 guided missile battery alongside roughly 130 personnel from the 350th Guided Missile Wing to the Yanbu region. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
• March 19, 2026: The contingent saw its first live-combat activation, successfully neutralizing two Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Western Saudi refineries. [1, 2]
• April 6, 2026: ELDYSA personnel intercepted and destroyed one Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) using a single missile
• July 2026: The battery intercepted two ballistic missiles followed by two hostile UAVs a week later, both salvos launched by Houthi forces from Yemen targeting the Yanbu energy hub.
• August 27, 2026: In its most recent operation, the Greek-manned unit fired three missiles to help shoot down a swarm of hostile drones in coordination with Saudi air defense networks.

View attachment 212910

View attachment 212898


The question about leaving however is not just because of the recent pact between Saudi Arabia,Turkey and Pakistan. That's the latest development and it's mostly political. The left and far-left is screaming for Greece not to have any participation anywhere and the center and right are criiticizing the government for keeping a battery there,protecting a country that recently signed a mutual defence agreement with our enemy.

But there are a couple of other more important problems:

1.The Saudis were supposed to fund the upgrade of the contigent there and pay for all the expenses. Apparently,that hasn't happened.

View attachment 212908View attachment 212909

2.The missile inventory is being squandered for Saudis at a time when there's already a big line for Patriot missiles and big pressure for everyone to donate or sell to Ukraine.
Generally,even the Americans have a tough time replenishing their stocks.

Greece should leave Saudi.

 

[Sinan]

KSA is one of the most educated societies on the planet with an almost 100% literacy rate with one of the highest scientific outputs per capita as well.

This was an article from 2016 from NATURE:

The rise of Saudi Arabia as a science powerhouse​

The rise of Saudi Arabia as a science powerhouse

Oil fuels Saudi Arabia’s rise as a regional science powerhouse.

www.natureasia.com

Saudi Arabian women are one of the most educated in the world and have one of the highest percentages of STEM graduates in the world as well.

Saudi Women STEM Graduates: 73% Science, 12% Engineering

Saudi women STEM graduates: 72.6% of science degrees but 12.1% of engineering degrees on UNESCO data — the lowest engineering share in the Gulf.

vision2030.ai

Recently a half Saudi Arabian half Jordanian (Saudi Arabian citizen as well) received a Noble Prize in chemistry.

Omar M. Yaghi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

We have 1 Saudi Arabian aerospace engineer (woman) in the US (formerly employed by NASA) that runs her own aerospace company that is designing missiles etc.

Mishaal Ashemimry: The First Saudi Female Aerospace Engineer Inspiring a Nation

From the deserts of Unayzah to NASA labs and national strategy rooms, Mishaal Ashemimry is charting Saudi Arabia's path to the stars, aligning science, innovation, and empowerment with Vision 2030.

www.saudiwins.com

About — Mishaal Ashemimry | Official Site

www.mishaalashemimry.com

Saudi Arabian universties are the best-ranked in the entire Muslim world and one of the highest ranked overall.

https://www.universityrankings.ch/results?ranking=QS&q=Saudi%20Arabia

The economy is booming as well.





One of the highest industrial growths in the world. Recently KSA achieved 26 % self-sufficiency in terms of localization of military spending and production. Many key military sectors are gaining high degrees of self-sufficiency.

Speaking of nuclear energy cooperation, around 5-10% of all the world's uranium reserves are found in KSA.

No need to mention that KSA is the richest country in the world in terms of resources compared to per capita wealth.

View attachment 211790

10 Countries With the Most Natural Resources

Learn about the 10 countries with the most valuable natural resources, ranked by total estimated reserves, and see which ones dominate global resource wealth.

www.investopedia.com

Saudi Arabia ranks first at International Nuclear Science Olympiad as students claim gold medals​

August 9, 2026 | 02:28 PM
Saudi Gazette
Last Updated: August 9, 2026 | 02:51 PM

EDDAH — Saudi student Jana Al-Sabil’s gold medal and “Best Female Student” award at the third International Nuclear Science Olympiad 2026, along with Amjad Al-Darwish’s gold medal and “Nuclear Science Ambassador” title, helped Saudi Arabia rank first overall in the competition.

Jana Saleh Al-Sabil won the gold medal and “Best Female Student” award in recognition of her scientific excellence and performance in the competition.

Presented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the award was among the special prizes approved by the Olympiad’s International Council to honor female students for scientific excellence, highlight their contributions to nuclear science, and encourage their participation in specialized scientific fields.

Al-Sabil was selected following her outstanding performance in the Olympiad, which included two examinations — one theoretical and one practical — each lasting five hours.

The exams assessed participants’ knowledge and skills in nuclear science, as well as their abilities to conduct scientific analysis and experiments, interpret results, and solve advanced problems.

Saudi Arabia ranked first in the third edition of the Olympiad after Amjad Mahmoud Al-Darwish won a gold medal and the title of “Nuclear Science Ambassador” for achieving the highest combined score in the theoretical and practical examinations among all competitors.

In addition, Abdulaziz Abdulmohsen Al-Sharait won a silver medal, while Saleh Mubarak Dhaifallah Al-Harbi received a bronze medal.

The Olympiad, hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah from August 2 to 9, brought together 120 students and scientific specialists representing 19 countries.

It was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, while King Abdulaziz University hosted the competitions and activities.

The International Nuclear Science Olympiad, approved by the IAEA in 2024, is an international scientific competition for secondary school students that aims to develop their knowledge and skills in nuclear science and its peaceful applications and encourage innovation and scientific research in the field.

Saudi Arabia ranks first at International Nuclear Science Olympiad as students claim gold medals

Saudi student Jana Al-Sabil's gold medal and 'Best Female Student' award at the third International Nuclear Science Olympiad 2026, along with Amjad Al-Darwish's gold medal and 'Nuclear Science Ambassador' title, helped Saudi Arabia rank first overall in the competition.

saudigazette.com.sa

KSA just signed a nuclear energy deal with the US with very few strings attached and if implemented it will turn KSA into one of the world's largest nuclear energy powers.

https://npolicy.org/no-gold-standard-no-israel-clause-what-the-saudi-nuclear-deal-actually-says-mbn/

So KSA offers far more than just financial power (which is arguably the most important element in the world).

I'm sick of people treating Saudia Arabia like a piggy bank. It's like "We will do things, and Saudis will finance it". I don't think it will work like that. Yes, Pakistan and Turkey has more experience in defence industry, but i think the way to move forward to establish the foundations of defence industry in Saudi Arabia.

That said, the Turkish experts i listened to generally say, finding work force in Saudi Arabia can be challenging. Most of the gulf states including Saudi Arabia relies on foreign workers. I don't know how true is that though.

 

[mythbuster]

I'm sick of people treating Saudia Arabia like a piggy bank. It's like "We will do things, and Saudis will finance it". I don't think it will work like that. Yes, Pakistan and Turkey has more experience in defence industry, but i think the way to move forward to establish the foundations of defence industry in Saudi Arabia.

That said, the Turkish experts i listened to generally say, finding work force in Saudi Arabia can be challenging. Most of the gulf states including Saudi Arabia relies on foreign workers. I don't know how true is that though.

Saudi Arabia can hire workers from all over the world , that's not the issue.... espionage by expat workers will be rampant and uncontrollable.

 

[PAKISTANFOREVER]

Saudi Arabia can hire workers from all over the world , that's not the issue.... espionage by expat workers will be rampant and uncontrollable.

ESPECIALLY by indian workers but the Saudis I believe, MUST be on to them.

 

[Yasser76]

ESPECIALLY by indian workers but the Saudis I believe, MUST be on to them.

Qataris learnt this the hard way

 

[Foinikas]

Greece should leave Saudi.

Elaborate on this a bit. Meaning why do you personally think we should.

 

[K2RULEZ]

The Israeli Zionists are losing their minds:



Just listen to the paranoia.

 

[hyperman]

Elaborate on this a bit. Meaning why do you personally think we should.

It doesn't serve Greek interests long term, and you are already overstretched. That partnership was signed before the current alignment of Turkey, Saudi and Pakistan. Currently we are heading for tensions as well between Saudi and the UAE, and the UAE is aligned with Israel, and Greeks are aligned with Israel.

Saudi will not support you in a conflict with Turkey if that is your expectation from the Patriot deployment, and you would be caught in the middle in a Saudi and UAE conflict. Just makes no sense as this deal was signed when Turkey had issues with the Arab states and Greece thought it saw an opening. The developments since then have changed. Haftar is no longer of Greece's side and preparing to ratify the EEZ. Egypt is deepening relations with Turkey and looking to potentially sign a treaty or enter the Mecca agreement, and Saudi signed a mutual defense treaty.

If I was a Greek foreign policy planner and I was looking for support to protect Greek interests, I would lean into a EU framework, and not rely on Saudis or Emiratis and even the Israelis. Simply because they have diverging interests from Greece and not likely to be of any support(in the case of Saudis and Emiratis whose relations with Turkey have changed), and Greece risks getting dragged into a conflict that doesn't involve it(a conflict between Turkey and Israel in Syria or Somalia etc)

 

[Foinikas]

It doesn't serve Greek interests long term, and you are already overstretched.

I agree on that. However Saudis had actually helped us with precious spare parts for Apache helicopters,C-130 airplanes and other equipment,big supplies that were hard to find and precious to us.

Still,if they're not going to keep their end of the deal,what the heck.

Just makes no sense as this deal was signed when Turkey had issues with the Arab states and Greece thought it saw an opening. The developments since then have changed. Haftar is no longer of Greece's side and preparing to ratify the EEZ. Egypt is deepening relations with Turkey and looking to potentially sign a treaty or enter the Mecca agreement, and Saudi signed a mutual defense treaty.

That's why I often use the government's quote when posting on greek defence sites: "We are building strong alliances". The last 5-6 years the PM and various ministers used to repeat "Greece is building strong alliances".

Of course,after 2023-2024 they left everything fall apart,like you mention Haftar,Sisi for example,the French too. One thing greek defence nerds comment Turkey on,is the solid and long-term geopolitical strategy. While for the last dunno how many years,our politicians are half-here half-there.

If I was a Greek foreign policy planner and I was looking for support to protect Greek interests, I would lean into a EU framework, and not rely on Saudis or Emiratis and even the Israelis.

And that's why I insisted from the start that we go full French. The French were willing to be best friends and allies with us and while we started strong,after 2022 the government took a turn to the US. Then in 2025 they remembered the French again and tried to half-ass relations back. I was in favor for full co-production of VBCI Philoctetes,
for 3-4 Gowind corvettes to complement the FDI HN frigates,for Black Sword submarines,SAMP/T and MICA VL systems,for Caesar S/P artillery and full cooperation and maybe even a french base in Greece.

The problem with the French is that their equipment is expensive. They are top quality but expensive. And when the Israeli sells you also quality equipment for 1/3 of the price,
it's a no-brainer. The thing is,both French and Israelis are the only ones who tell us "everything is available to you,buy whatever you want". And we don't seize this chance,
probably because of lack of money. But then again,the government decided to give almost 13 billion euros this year for an earlier pay-off of the debt.

 

[Sinan]

That's why I often use the government's quote when posting on greek defence sites: "We are building strong alliances". The last 5-6 years the PM and various ministers used to repeat "Greece is building strong alliances".

Of course,after 2023-2024 they left everything fall apart,like you mention Haftar,Sisi for example,the French too. One thing greek defence nerds comment Turkey on,is the solid and long-term geopolitical strategy. While for the last dunno how many years,our politicians are half-here half-there.

I don't understand these Greek politicians "we are building strong alliances". Yes, time to time you interests might intersect. But for that "Alliance" to be permenant you have to offer something. What Greece have to offer Haftar for instance? Currently, we are doing many thing for Haftar, most of them not publicized.

 

[hyperman]

And that's why I insisted from the start that we go full French. The French were willing to be best friends and allies with us and while we started strong,after 2022 the government took a turn to the US. Then in 2025 they remembered the French again and tried to half-ass relations back.

There are two types of relationships, strategic/political relationships and buyer seller relationships.

Greece should understand that trying to build a relationship with the US is futile. B/c US relations are transactional, and depend on what have you done for me lately(unless you are the Israelis in which case you use jewish billionaires to buy US politicians and media to entrench your control over the American Bureaucracy to serve your "relationship"), Greece tried to build relations with a state halfway around the world, that has no real vested interests in the region, no intrinsic need from Greece, and can decide tomorrow to pick up and leave.

I agee with you that the intelligent thing would have been for greater EU integration and French alignment for Greece. But as you said, if price weapons is really what is driving you to the Israeli alignment, weapons can be bought from anywhere in the world.

If the weapons are too expensive, you would be better off supplementing with Korean and Indian weapon systems.

 

[Foinikas]

What Greece have to offer Haftar for instance?

Exactly what I was just going to mention. Because many guys on defence forums comment on that. We offered nothing much. And the problem is this mentality that a lot of Greek political parties and Greeks(mainly of the left)have that we should stay out of any conflict. The communists and most leftist parties are adamant about that.
We want others to come help us,but we don't want to participate somewhere seriously.
For example,we want the French to come fight for us,some ask "if the French have problems in the Sahel or wherever else,will you send forces?". We want the Americans to come help us against Turkey or Russia,but when Americans ask for help,we're like "oh no no,only medical and logistics".

That's why many of greeks on the internet are wondering,why did we do nothing for Haftar and the LNA? Why didn't we get involved more actively,not in battles,but somehow. There are so many proxy wars going on in the region and we're just sitting back.

We buy something in small quantities and demand co-production or good prices. That's what many defence nerds here say. Turks,Poles,Romanians,Hungarians come,they place a big order,big money,they get co-production. They get factories on their land. They get ToT. We're just going like "I'll get 3+1 frigates" or "We want 100 missiles,but give us at least 25% participation of Greek companies".

This is how Greek politics work. This is the nonsense.