The Biden administration carried out the removal of the US advanced missile defence system and Patriot missile batteries from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past two weeks. The removal of the defensive assets came during a period of intensified assault by Yemen against the Saudi Royals Family’s forces.
The prompt withdrawal of the missile defence systems from Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh has left the Kingdom vulnerable, and puts Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a difficult position militarily. This descaling of support came as the world watched the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban terror group, and the hasty exit of the last US troops from the beleaguered nation.
The withdrawal from Saudi Arabia being carried out in unison with its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has left the Saudi Royals fearful of a major policy shift under the Biden administration toward an isolationism.
Following the reduction in US protection, Mohammed bin Salman’s defence ministry issued a statement describing the kingdom’s relationship with the US as “strong, longstanding and historic” as well as acknowledging the removal of the American missile defence systems. In a statement eerily echoing that of the Afghan leaders only two months ago, the Saudi Royal Family’s military leaders ensured the world that the nation “is capable of defending its lands, seas and airspace, and protecting its people”.
