What comes after Riyadh meeting between the Pakistani, Saudi and Turkish military chiefs?

AI Summary

Military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey met in Riyadh to advance the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement towards operational military cooperation. Discussions focused on intelligence sharing, coordination, and capability integration amid ongoing missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemen.

The hurried meeting of the military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in Riyadh on Friday, followed by a separate meeting between Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman points to how quickly the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement is transitioning to an operational phase. The statements issued after the two meetings do not contain anything that would suggest that joint strikes or ground operations against Yemen’s Ansar Allah — commonly referred to as Houthis — are in the offing. However, the two communiques do show that the agreement signed on August 7 in Makkah is shifting gears from political assurances to putting in place the military arrangements required to give practical effect to its collective defence commitment. That is one notable change since the signing of the agreement. For instance, Islamabad’s position, articulated by the Foreign Office only two weeks ago, was that the Makkah agreement was still being institutionalised and there was no discussion of Pakistani participation in strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The FO had further characterised the pact as a defensive alliance aimed at protecting regional security through deterrence. The language contained in the communiques that came out of Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday goes much further. The statement issued after the meeting of the three military chiefs says they discussed ways of strengthening “intelligence cooperation, military coordination, and capability integration” and expressed their “shared determination to immediately begin translating the commitments contained in the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defence into effective military cooperation”. The reference to beginning “immediately” and to “effective military cooperation” implies that the three militaries are now looking at how their capabilities can work together, rather than merely reaffirming the principle that an attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all. This fast-tracking of the implementation of the agreements is taking place against the backdrop of repeated missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemen, including attacks threatening civilian and economic infrastructure and, most significantly for Riyadh, one that is claimed to be directed towards the vicinity of Makkah city. While the trilateral statement strongly condemned those attacks and praised the Saudi armed forces for their “vigilance and professionalism” in protecting the kingdom, it is noteworthy for lacking any reference to retaliation, offensive operations or strikes against Ansar Allah positions. Neither Ansar Allah, Houthis, nor Yemen was referenced directly. Instead, emphasis has been placed on intelligence, coordination and integration of capabilities, which would be the first practical steps towards improving Saudi Arabia’s ability to detect, intercept and deter further attacks. In practical terms, this announcement would translate into closer intelligence sharing and early warning arrangements, as well as technical personnel, air defence specialists, sensors, electronic warfare capabilities and other assets that could be incorporated into Saudi Arabia’s existing defensive architecture. On the coordination front, the three countries could, as a follow-up to the meeting of the military chiefs, appoint liaison officers and set up a joint planning cell, which can then work for coordinated responses. The reference to “capability integration” in the statement is particularly significant. Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia can cooperate while maintaining separate military systems and operations, but integrating capabilities would require a much closer degree of liaison, planning and command and control arrangements. Despite their longstanding defence cooperation and deep military ties, Pakistan and Turkiye have different military capabilities and equipment inventories from those possessed by Saudi Arabia, and the challenge will be to determine what each can contribute and how those capabilities can be incorporated into the kingdom’s existing defence system. Turkiye has already indicated its readiness to meet Saudi military requirements, particularly on technical matters. Pakistan, meanwhile, has historical military ties with Saudi Arabia and personnel already serving in the kingdom, providing Islamabad with an established channel through which additional support could potentially be arranged. The separate meeting between Field Marshal Munir and Prince Khalid bin Salman, the only publicly known meeting the Saudi defence minister had bilaterally with the participants of the Makkah alliance meeting, adds another dimension to the developing military engagement. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir meets Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this photo from September 25, 2026. X/@kbsalsaud Accordin