auto-update week 33

middle-east/sa.json

@@ -1221,6 +1221,17 @@
       "text": "the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) are divided into the regular forces under the Ministry of Defense and the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG); the regular forces are responsible for territorial defense, although they can be called for domestic security duties if needed; they include land, naval, air, air defense, and strategic missile forces; the Land Forces have approximately 15 combat brigades which include a mix of armored, aviation, light infantry, mechanized or motorized infantry, royal guards, and airborne/special forces, plus separate battalions of artillery; the Naval Forces are undergoing a major acquisitions and modernization program; its principal warships are approximately 16 frigates and corvettes, with an additional 4 frigates on order; the Air Force is the largest and one of the most modern in the region, with over 350 combat aircraft from Europe and the US with more on order; the Strategic Missile Force manages Saudi Arabia’s ballistic missile inventory, largely acquired from China<br><br>the SANG is responsible for both internal security and external defense; its duties include protecting the royal family, guarding against military coups, defending strategic facilities and resources, and providing security for the cities of Mecca and Medina; the SANG is primarily comprised of tribal elements loyal to the Saud family and has at least 11 brigades of light infantry, mechanized/motorized infantry, and security forces; it is supplemented by combat helicopter units and tribal levies/militias known as Fowj<br><br>there are also large numbers of paramilitary forces under the Ministry of Interior, including Border Guards and the Facilities Security Force, as well as the Special Security Forces and Special Emergency Forces under the State Security Presidency<br><br>the US is Saudi Arabia’s closest security partner; the SAAF conducts bilateral exercises with the US military and hosts US forces; the US has participated in a cooperative program to equip and train the SANG since 1973; much of the equipment for both the regular forces and the SANG has been acquired from the US; Saudi Arabia also has defense relationships with China, France, India, the UK, and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members<br><br>in 2015, Saudi Arabia led a military intervention into Yemen by a coalition of Arab states in support of the Republic of Yemen Government against the separatist Huthis; Saudi forces from both the Ministry of Defense and the SANG participated in combat operations in Yemen; Saudi Arabia also raised and equipped paramilitary/militia security forces in Yemen--based largely on tribal or regional affiliation--to deploy along the Saudi-Yemen border (2023)"
     }
   },
+  "Space": {
+    "Space agency/agencies": {
+      "text": "Saudi Space Commission (SSC; established 2018); King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST; established 1977); KACST includes the Space and Aeronautics Research Institute (SARI; established 2000) (2023)"
+    },
+    "Space program overview": {
+      "Space programs overview": {
+        "text": "has one of the more advanced space programs in the region; manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; develops a range of satellite subsystems and payload technologies; SSC&rsquo;s missions also include accelerating economic diversification, enhancing research and development, and raising private sector participation in the global space industry; is the main founder and financier of the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat; launched in 1976; headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the primary satellite communications service provider for over 170 million persons in the Arab world); cooperates with the space agencies and industries of a wide range of countries, including those of Belarus, China, the European Space Agency and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Greece, and Hungary), India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, and the US; member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group (established by the UAE in 2019 and includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, and Sudan) (2023)"
+      },
+      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S"
+    }
+  },
   "Terrorism": {
     "Terrorist group(s)": {
       "text": "Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa’ida; al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)",