Trump Designates Saudi Arabia Major Non-NATO Ally In Strategic Military Shift

President Donald Trump has officially designated Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally”, solidifying one of the most consequential diplomatic and military realignments of his second term. The announcement was made Tuesday during a high-profile White House visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signaling a new era of cooperation between Washington and Riyadh.

“We’re taking our military cooperation to even greater heights,” Trump said, adding that the two nations had just signed a “historic strategic defense agreement.”

The move formally upgrades the Kingdom’s status, placing it alongside key partners like Japan, Australia, and Israel all while bypassing the cold shoulder previously extended by the Biden administration, which had strained relations with the Saudis over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Riyadh’s aggressive oil policy.

What does this designation mean?

• It expands U.S.-Saudi military cooperation, including joint training, weapons sales, and defense technologies.

• It paves the way for Saudi Arabia to purchase the elite F-35 stealth fighter, a privilege previously limited to close allies.

• It locks in Riyadh as a front-line partner in countering Iranian aggression and radical Islamist terrorism across the Middle East.

The announcement also coincided with Crown Prince Mohammed’s stunning economic pledge: to grow Saudi Arabia’s investment in the U.S. from $600 billion to nearly $1 trillion a figure that rivals the entirety of the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.

This economic gesture comes as Saudi Arabia signals interest in joining the Abraham Accords, the Trump-brokered peace agreements that normalized relations between Israel and multiple Arab nations. While Riyadh has insisted that it won't fully normalize ties with Jerusalem until progress is made on a two-state solution for Palestinians, the ongoing Gaza ceasefire backed by Saudi Arabia may create an opening.

This move stands in stark contrast to the Biden-era foreign policy of appeasement and disengagement. Trump’s re-engagement with Saudi Arabia is strategic, forward-looking, and unapologetically pro-American.

While some defense analysts warn that sharing F-35 technology with the Saudis could risk intelligence leaks to China given Riyadh’s parallel military agreements with Beijing Trump has made clear that strengthening America’s presence in the Middle East outweighs the risk.

Let’s be honest: Biden’s weakness opened the door for adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia to expand influence in the region. Trump is slamming that door shut.

With this designation, Trump is not only restoring American strength abroad, he’s building the coalitions needed to counter rising global threats something his predecessor never understood and his successor simply wasn’t willing to do.

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