Saudi Arabia’s 2025 Designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally and the Changing Architecture of Gulf Security

Description

In November 2025 the United States designated Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally, formalising an already extensive security partnership. This article argues that MNNA increasingly marks privileged security ties below the treaty threshold. The Saudi case reveals a U.S.-centred Gulf security architecture that deepens regional integration without collective defence, while constraining Europe’s scope to shape the region’s hard-security order.