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What are Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistanโ€™s joint military capabilities?

Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last Friday, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stating that an armeโ€ฆ

What are Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistanโ€™s joint military capabilities?
Al Jazeera โ€” 11 August 2026
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Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last Friday, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stating that an armed attack on any one of the three would be regarded as an attack on all.

The pact comes as the three countries navigate growing regional tensions, including concerns over Israelโ€™s expanding military reach and Iranโ€™s regional influence.

Together, these countries form a sizeable military bloc. Riyadh is a top oil exporter, Ankara has NATOโ€™s second-largest military, and Islamabad is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.

In this explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down their combined land, air and naval strength.

Together, the three countries combine nearly 1.4 million active military personnel, 3,400 aircraft, 6,000 tanks and more than 340 naval assets according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, which ranks the defence capabilities of 145 countries.

The index scores each countryโ€™s potential war-making capability across land, air and sea, drawing on factors including manpower, equipment, natural resources, finances and geography.

Andreas Krieg, an academic, security analyst and political risk consultant specialising in the Middle East and North Africa, said the pactโ€™s significance lies in how the three countriesโ€™ different capabilities could complement one another.

โ€œSaudi Arabia contributes capital, geography, infrastructure and political convening power. Turkiye contributes an increasingly sophisticated defence-industrial base, drones, missiles, sensors, electronic warfare, naval systems and NATO-derived military expertise,โ€ he said.

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