Trump to Designate Saudi Arabia a Major Non‑NATO Ally, Deepening U.S.-Saudi Defense Partnership

President Trump announced Tuesday that he will designate Saudi Arabia as a major non‑NATO ally, a move that elevates defense cooperation between the United States and the Gulf kingdom.

The president made the announcement during a black‑tie White House dinner honoring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier the same day, the two leaders signed a new strategic defense agreement, and the administration said it intends to move forward with possible sales of advanced aircraft, including F‑35 fighter jets.

The major non‑NATO ally designation could streamline Saudi access to U.S. military equipment and facilitate deeper military collaboration. There are currently about 20 countries with that status, including Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan.

Deal specifics and economic pledges

The White House said Saudi Arabia will buy hundreds of tanks and fighter jets and will expand cooperation with the U.S. on artificial intelligence and civil nuclear matters. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to raise Saudi investment in the United States to nearly $1 trillion, up from an earlier figure of $600 billion.

Members of President Trump's family have business ties with Saudi entities; the president repeatedly said he has no involvement with those transactions and disputed their scope.

Diplomatic context and outstanding questions

An open diplomatic question is whether Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements brokered between Israel and several majority‑Muslim states. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he wants to join but wants to see a clear path toward a Palestinian state; President Trump said the two leaders discussed the accords positively.

Human rights concerns complicate the partnership. U.S. intelligence concluded in 2021 that the crown prince approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been a vocal critic of the Saudi government. President Trump said he believes the crown prince "knew nothing" about the killing; bin Salman described news of the murder as "really painful to hear." These conflicting statements leave important questions unresolved.

U.S.-Saudi ties stretch back about eight decades, beginning with a 1945 meeting between King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard a U.S. Navy cruiser. The relationship has long centered on defense cooperation and shared strategic concerns in the region.

While the designation is largely designed to strengthen military coordination and strategic alignment, it will likely prompt renewed scrutiny from lawmakers, rights groups and international partners who are watching both the security and human rights implications of deeper U.S.-Saudi ties.