The United States last month renewed a training program for Saudi Arabia worth $1 billion in another sign of deepening relations between the two countries.

The US State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) valued at $1 billion to Saudi Arabia covering blanket order training and related equipment, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a statement December 22.

A blanket order training purchase refers to when an international partner buys a category of training that has a set dollar value ceiling but without a definitive listing of the exact items or quantities to be included in the agreement.

Within a blanket order training program, critical partners of the United States, such as Saudi Arabia, can acquire both support and instructional services to further their defensive capabilities.

These agreements can include spare parts or repair and maintenance training for various weapon systems or include both formal and informal instruction of a partner's forces and personnel.

Saudi Arabia requested the continuation of a successful standing blanket order training program with the United States that includes flight training, technical training, professional military education, English language training and specialized training for the Royal Saudi Air Force and other Saudi forces, according to the DSCA.

Under that program, the United States provides Mobile Training Teams, Technical Assistance Field Teams and Extended Training Service Specialists to provide technical support and training for the installation, operation and maintenance of various weapons, equipment and systems.

Training for Saudi personnel will include a variety of critical subjects including civilian casualty avoidance, the laws of armed conflicts and human rights.

The $1 billion estimate covers projections for program management, trainers and simulators, travel, billeting and medical support.

Some 339 US government or contractor training personnel will be either assigned to Saudi Arabia or continue their current assignments within the country as part of the sale, said the statement.

Growing cooperation

Collaboration between the United States and Saudi Arabia bolsters collective defense posture in the region by ensuring that Saudi Arabia is positioned to meet current and future threats, such as those posed by the ongoing aggression by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.

The proposed sale "will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a friendly country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," the DSCA said.

The training agreement enhances interoperability between the US and Saudi air forces through comprehensive training that will help Saudi Arabia further foster security in the region, it added.

The US State Department earlier in December authorized the potential sale of RE-3A Tactical Airborne Surveillance System (TASS) aircraft modernization and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for $582 million.

Saudi Arabia owns two RE-3A TASS aircraft and one RE-3B variant. They conduct signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations.

The sale covers aircraft hardware and software modifications including Global Positioning System (GPS)/inertial navigation system security, intelligence sensor suites, communication terminals and electronic intelligence and SIGINT systems.

Saudi Arabia was the fifth highest military spender in the world in 2022 and uses its military expenditures to maintain a strong relationship with the United States both militarily and economically.