Saudi Arabia Forms New 14-Nation Defence Alliance: What is the Objective?
Saudi Arabia, together with 13 other nations, has officially established a Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance to secure strategic shipping lanes in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. The formation of this coalition comes amid increasing threats to global trade routes and energy supplies due to escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence stated that the alliance was created as a platform to strengthen collective maritime defence cooperation. Riyadh emphasised that the primary objective of the coalition is to maintain freedom of navigation and secure international trade routes and energy distribution connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
“The door remains open for other countries to join the coalition charter after completing their national procedures,” the ministry stated, as reported by Al Jazeera on Friday (31/07/2026).
In addition to Saudi Arabia, the participating nations include Türkiye, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Djibouti, Somalia, Bangladesh, Yemen, Sudan, and Comoros. The formation meeting was attended by representatives from 43 countries, including delegations from the European Union. However, the United Arab Emirates and Oman have not yet joined the coalition, despite sharing similar security interests in the region.
According to the Saudi government, participating nations share the “belief that maritime security is a collective responsibility and that cooperation and coordination between countries are the foundation for addressing common and transnational maritime threats.”
Riyadh also asserted that the alliance is “purely defensive and does not target any specific nation.”
The coalition’s formation occurs as regional tensions rise following disruptions to shipping activities in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran conflict. Simultaneously, the Bab al-Mandeb-Red Sea-Gulf of Aden route has repeatedly been targeted by Houthi attacks in Yemen, which are supported by Iran.
The alliance will focus on intelligence exchange, information sharing, operational planning, and the execution of joint military exercises and maritime operations. However, Saudi Arabia has not yet disclosed the specific contributions of warships or aircraft that each member nation will provide.
Saudi Arabia serves as a founding member and will host the alliance’s headquarters, although the exact location has not been announced. This move follows maritime blockades imposed by Houthi groups against Saudi Arabia, which have disrupted oil shipments through the Red Sea.
Since the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has been able to maintain much of its oil exports via the East-West Pipeline to the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea coast. Nevertheless, all shipments must still pass through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, located between Eritrea, Djibouti, and Yemen, making the area highly vulnerable to Houthi attacks.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait is one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, through which approximately 10-12% of global maritime trade passes, including millions of barrels of oil daily. With a width of only about 29 kilometres at its narrowest point, disruptions in this route have the potential to trigger surges in global energy prices and hinder international trade flows.