- Royal Saudi Land Forces troops trained at Fort Irwin during NTC Rotation 26-02, marking their first participation in a U.S. Army combat training center event.
- The Army says the RSLF integrated with 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, alongside U.S. Army Central and the 3rd Security Forces Assistance Brigade.
Saudi soldiers are training alongside U.S. Army units in California in a milestone event for the two countries’ long-standing military partnership.
According to the Army, troops from the Royal Saudi Land Forces are conducting operations at the National Training Center (NTC) during Rotation 26-02 at Fort Irwin on November 7, marking the first time a Saudi unit has taken part in a U.S. Army combat training center rotation.
The Army said the RSLF is partnering with U.S. Army Central and the 3rd Security Forces Assistance Brigade for the exercise. The Saudi contingent is integrating with 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in what the service describes as a demanding, realistic training environment designed to build joint readiness.
U.S. officials note that cooperation with Saudi armored units goes back more than three decades.
“Historically, USARCENT has served alongside the RSLF armored units since Operation Desert Storm in 1991,” the Army stated.
This year’s rotation takes that cooperation into a new domain by placing Saudi forces directly into the Army’s largest and most intensive maneuver-training complex.
NTC rotations are considered among the most challenging exercises available to U.S. ground forces. Units train across a wide desert battlespace, facing complex scenarios meant to replicate modern threats. By embedding with 2nd Brigade, Saudi soldiers are exposed to the same conditions and operational tempo as the American formations they are partnering with.
According to the Army, the goal of the rotation is to “enhance interoperability and operational effectiveness.” That includes shared planning, maneuver integration, and combined responses to simulated battlefield challenges. U.S. instructors from the 3rd Security Forces Assistance Brigade are providing advisory support, helping bridge doctrinal and procedural differences between the two armies.
The Army views these engagements as a way to maintain U.S. influence and readiness without committing large formations abroad. As global demands on American forces shift, the ability to train partners at home in facilities like Fort Irwin becomes more central to how the United States prepares for future contingencies. The Saudi participation in NTC 26-02 highlights that the model is expanding to include partners who have not previously taken part in such high-level maneuver training.