Gulf Defense Budgets, Visions and Ministers in 2026

The defense budgets and ministerial defense strategies of the Gulf states and Egypt, covering annual defense spending levels, national defense visions and priorities, and the agendas of defense ministers and senior military officials.

GCC and Egyptian defense budgets and ministerial visions for 2026 reveal a sector under wartime acceleration and growing fiscal strain.

Saudi Arabia is increasing borrowing and reallocating government spending to cover defense and reconstruction costs after the Houthi attacks, with 2027 defense allocations and PIF investments being adjusted, alongside its roughly $64 billion MoD budget and Defense Vision 2025 reassessment.

In Qatar, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman has reiterated the request for 24 F-35s, which the US agreed on 21 September 2026 to put through a policy review in Washington, and announced plans on 19 October for a domestic defense industry hub.

This topic page also consolidates the UAE's roughly $27 billion budget and Defense Vision 2025 forward path, Kuwait's open defense budget under Emir Meshaal, and the priorities of Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, MoD Executive Director-General of Policy and Strategy Maj. Gen. Nasser Al-Khathran and GAMI Acting Governor Bandar Al-Khorayef, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohammad Al-Mazrouei, Qatar Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jassim Al-Mannai, Egypt's defense minister Lt.-Gen. Ashraf Salem Mansour, and Egypt's new minister of state for military production.

Built for defense primes, lobbying firms and ministry-of-defense procurement officers.