Huge Saudi force to defend oilfields from al-Qaida
Ian Black, Middle East editor Tuesday August 28, 2007
The Guardian
Anxieties about al-Qaida attacks and a US-led war against Iran have prompted Saudi Arabia to establish a special force - being trained by an American defence contractor - to protect its oilfields. Saudi authorities have already recruited 5,000 members of the Facilities Security Force and plan to raise the number to 8,000-10,000 over the next two years, in a project being run by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, officials confirmed. Nervousness has been growing recently about the impact of attacks by al-Qaida-related groups and possible retaliation by Iran in the event of US or Israeli strikes on its nuclear installations.
Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer and home to 25% of its proven reserves. It has more than 80 oil and gas fields and 11,000 miles of pipeline.
The plan to set up a force that will eventually number 35,000 to guard oil and other installations was announced in July by the country's interior minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz. The Middle East Economic Survey (Mees) reported: "The scale of the latest security initiative is immense and several years are likely to elapse until the new force is fully capable." The total cost was likely to reach $5bn (£2.48bn), it said.
According to Mees, recruits are being trained in the use of laser security and satellite imaging surveillance equipment, countermeasures and crisis management under a programme managed by Lockheed Martin. Members of the force are being heavily vetted and largely recruited from outside the Saudi security forces. The protection of oil facilities is currently the responsibility of a 15,000-strong force run by Aramco, the state oil corporation.
Saudi Arabia has seen several attacks on its infrastructure, but none has so far disrupted the flow of oil. In February 2006, al-Qaida attacked the Abqaiq oil facilities in Eastern Province, which supplies almost 10% of the world's oil. The attack did not stop exports, but pushed up oil prices by $2 a barrel.
Saudi officials say the kingdom, the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, has foiled 180 operations by al-Qaida since 2003. In April, the interior ministry said 172 terrorist suspects had been arrested, and weapons and cash seized. Some had gone abroad to learn to fly aircraft and were allegedly plotting attacks on oil facilities and army bases. The most sensitive energy targets are Abqaiq and the refining and export facilities at Ras Tanoura and Juaymah on the Gulf and the Rabigh and Yanbu complexes on the Red Sea.
The US recently announced it had put together an arms package worth at least $20bn over 10 years for Saudi Arabia.