Ministry of National Guard

The Ministry of the National Guard is one of the military entities entrusted with ensuring internal security and stability, in addition to border protection, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is also responsible for protecting the holy sites, gains, vital interests, and properties within the Kingdom and supporting the Ministries of Defense and Interior in these endeavors. It was established on May 27, 2013, as an independent ministry in the Council of Ministers after previously being a presidency. His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz was appointed Minister of the Saudi National Guard on December 27, 2018.

The establishment of the Ministry of the National Guard dates back to the era of the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, who ordered the creation of several military brigades to participate in campaigns to unify the country. Then, in 1949, a specialized department was established for this purpose. In 1954, the department was developed to keep pace with the phase the Kingdom was going through, and a Royal Order was issued to transform it into the National Guard Presidency. Prince Abdullah Bin Faisal al-Farhan was considered the first to assume the presidency of the guard at that time.

The assumption by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (when he was a prince) of the presidency of the National Guard in 1962 marked a qualitative leap in the journey of the National Guard, as that period witnessed its transition from being traditional units to a civilized military institution.

A Supreme Order was issued to establish the Ministry of National Guard Development Program in mid-2019 to enhance the ongoing development in the ministry, meet the need to enhance the readiness and competence of military capabilities, and improve coordination with the Kingdom's defense and security system. In addition, the aim was to integrate with the Kingdom's health system to provide high-quality medical services. The program developed a detailed plan to keep pace with the outlined ambitions, which included two main phases: the comprehensive study phase and the phase of launching initiatives, achieving accomplishments, and evaluation. The program's projects were launched on January 6, 2020.

The headquarters of the Ministry of the National Guard is located in the capital, Riyadh. It is one of the distinguished landmarks executed by the National Guard. It spans an area of 77,000 m and can accommodate about 3,500 employees. In addition, there are several supporting administrative buildings, such as the National Guard's printing press buildings, the Aviation Authority, the Information Center, the National Guard Magazine building, and other administrative buildings.

The role of the ministry was not limited to the military aspect only; it also extended to reviving the heritage and culture of the Kingdom through organizing, over decades, al-Janadriah Heritage and Cultural National Festival before the responsibility for its organization was transferred to the Ministry of Culture.

The Ministry of National Guard has made a significant contribution to the development of Saudi society by establishing residential cities, including King Abdulaziz City, King Saud City in Riyadh, King Faisal Residential City in Jeddah, King Fahd City in Dammam, Prince Abdullah City in al-Ahsa, and Prince Badr City at King Khalid Military College.