Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement final Friday, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence towards any act of aggression and stating that an armed assault on any one of many three can be considered an assault on all.
The pact comes because the three international locations navigate rising regional tensions, together with considerations over Israel’s increasing army attain and Iran’s regional affect.
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Collectively, these international locations kind a sizeable army bloc. Riyadh is a high oil exporter, Ankara has NATO’s second-largest army, and Islamabad is the one nuclear-armed Muslim nation.
On this explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down their mixed land, air and naval energy.
Joint land, air and naval energy
Collectively, the three international locations mix almost 1.4 million lively army personnel, 3,400 plane, 6,000 tanks and greater than 340 naval property in accordance with the 2026 International Firepower Index, which ranks the defence capabilities of 145 international locations.
The index scores every nation’s potential war-making functionality throughout land, air and sea, drawing on elements together with manpower, gear, pure sources, funds and geography.
- Manpower: Mixed, the three international locations embody about 1.4 million lively personnel, backed by massive paramilitary and reserve forces. Pakistan supplies the most important pool of lively personnel at 660,000, adopted by Turkiye at 481,000 and Saudi Arabia at 247,000.
- Air energy: Collectively they function 3,415 army plane together with fighter jets, helicopters, transporters and coaching army plane. Pakistan possesses some 1,397 plane, adopted by Turkiye at 1,101 and Saudi Arabia with 917.
- Land forces: The three international locations area some 6,046 tanks and greater than 179,000 armoured automobiles, alongside 1000’s of artillery methods and multiple-launch rocket methods. Pakistan has the very best variety of tanks at 2,677, Turkiye has 2,284 and Saudi Arabia, 1,085.
- Naval energy: Their mixed fleets embody 344 naval property, together with 33 frigates, 24 corvettes and 22 submarines. Turkiye comes out high right here with 192 naval property, adopted by Pakistan’s 120 and Saudi Arabia’s 32.
- Defence spending: Their mixed defence budgets quantity to about $124.4bn yearly. Saudi Arabia has the most important army funds of the three at $63.9bn in 2026, whereas Turkiye put aside $51.4bn and Pakistan $9.1bn in accordance with International Firepower.
Complementary army powers
Andreas Krieg, a tutorial, safety analyst and political threat marketing consultant specialising within the Center East and North Africa, mentioned the pact’s significance lies in how the three international locations’ completely different capabilities may complement each other.
“Saudi Arabia contributes capital, geography, infrastructure and political convening energy. Turkiye contributes an more and more subtle defence-industrial base, drones, missiles, sensors, digital warfare, naval methods and NATO-derived army experience,” he mentioned.
In the meantime, Pakistan contributes manpower, a big skilled army institution, operational expertise, defence manufacturing and nuclear functionality.
What does the alliance imply for every nation?
For Saudi Arabia, the pact diversifies its defence partnerships beyond the United States, including Turkiye’s superior army capabilities and Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent, amid rising threats to very important maritime corridors such because the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
Pakistan is certainly one of 9 states that possess nuclear weapons, which it first examined in 1998. The nation of greater than 250 million folks depends closely on China for its arms imports.
Turkiye, which joined NATO in 1952, has no nuclear weapons of its personal however hosts US warheads underneath NATO nuclear-sharing preparations.
David Des Roches, a former director of Arabian Peninsula affairs within the US Division of Protection, instructed Al Jazeera that the deal additionally serves Saudi arms diversification amid Western export unpredictability, since Turkiye and Pakistan can provide gadgets like 155mm artillery shells at scale.
For Turkiye and Pakistan, it opens Saudi monetary markets for his or her defence industries – each have manufacturing capability exceeding what their very own economies can maintain.
Zaid M Belbagi, managing associate at Hardcastle Advisory, instructed Al Jazeera that, for the US, the stakes are excessive. “Pakistan is a recipient of US support, Saudi Arabia is the most important international purchaser of US army gear, and Turkiye is NATO’s second-largest military after the USA – so the spectre of the US inside this settlement is sort of attention-grabbing,” he mentioned.
Krieg added that the US stays extremely essential, significantly for intelligence, superior missile defence, and high-end army expertise – however mentioned that regional actors need to convert their very own sources into usable energy slightly than buying from Washington.
“The outdated mannequin was overwhelmingly hub-and-spokes, with Washington on the centre and particular person states trying primarily to the USA for safety. What’s rising now’s horizontal connectivity between regional powers,” mentioned Krieg.
Which different international locations may be part of the pact?
Egypt is the one nation whose potential membership has been publicly raised by a signatory. Turkiye’s International Minister Hakan Fidan referred to as Egypt a “pure associate” and mentioned he anticipated Cairo to affix as soon as technical points are resolved.
Krieg mentioned Egypt’s army weight, strategic geography and management of the Suez Canal would make it a big addition to the pact.
However Cairo could also be cautious of binding army obligations and the impression on its present agreements, analysts mentioned. “Egypt could be part of provided that the language protects its support relationship with Washington, doesn’t undermine present alliances and peace treaties, and maintains its personal freedom to determine when and the place it fights,” mentioned Karim Elgendy at Chatham Home.
