Trump: Partnership with Saudi Arabia is a Strategic Necessity for National Security

The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November 2025 resulted in the largest package of bilateral cooperation since the 1980s, which included a binding defense agreement, the designation of Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, and the approval of the sale of F-35 fighter jets.

In addition to agreements in critical minerals, advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors, there is a Saudi commitment to invest up to one trillion dollars in the U.S. economy in the coming years.

With this exceptional momentum, Trump’s core vision that the partnership with Saudi Arabia directly enhances U.S. national security has been reinforced, especially in light of the strategic environment of 2025 and the insights provided by experts and analysts.

In assessing the security relationship, Bradley Bowman, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), stated that "Saudi Arabia is an important U.S. security partner, and increased defense cooperation with Riyadh can serve American interests and support the building of a regional security framework that deters and defeats aggression more effectively."

In this context, a report from the Soufan Center regarding the Crown Prince's visit to Washington noted that "the agreements produced mutual strategic and economic benefits and could help deter and defend against a wide range of threats still facing the region."

The report also indicates that Saudi interest in regional security makes the new defense agreement and the F-35 deal "solidify Saudi Arabia's position as one of the closest allies of the United States."

Although the new agreements focused on technology and minerals, the logic of "oil for security" has not changed. The Soufan Center report in New York points out that Saudi leaders still cite attacks on oil refineries in Saudi Arabia as the main impetus for demanding a binding U.S. defense guarantee, noting that the American security umbrella allows Riyadh to maintain balance in the oil market without fear of disruption.

Additionally, Jennifer Gordon, director of the Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative at the Atlantic Council, considered that the new agreements in minerals and civil nuclear energy represent "a more pragmatic approach focusing on technologies with strong implications for national security."

Economically and technologically, the Soufan Center clarifies that the Crown Prince's commitment to invest up to one trillion dollars in the U.S. "will solidify both the U.S. and Saudi economies and help reduce the Kingdom's reliance on hydrocarbon sales," prioritizing American companies in the sectors of artificial intelligence, minerals, and semiconductors, which enhances the U.S. position in competition with China.

In the field of nuclear energy and supply chains, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that "there are many ways to structure a deal that achieves both Saudi and American goals" in the area of civil nuclear cooperation and uranium supply, limiting the increasing reliance on Russia and China in nuclear fuel supply chains.

Researchers Daniel E. Mouton and Gracelyn Bhaskaran from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) describe the new mineral agreement as paving the way for "a new era of U.S.-Saudi cooperation in minerals" that will reshape global supply chains in a way that gives the United States a strategic advantage in future industries.

Estimates from leading American think tanks -- FDD, the Atlantic Council, CSIS, and the Soufan Center -- agree that the partnership with Saudi Arabia is now one of the core assets in the U.S. deterrence strategy in the region, maintaining stability in energy markets, protecting critical technological supply chains, and ensuring broad investment flows into the U.S. economy.

When gathering these insights, it becomes clear that the expert commentary surrounding the November 2025 summit almost collectively affirms the validity of President Trump's vision, as Saudi Arabia remains the Arab partner that the United States cannot do without, and the new agreements represent a true upgrade to the historical relationship.

They provide a higher level of deterrence against destabilizing regimes, enhance energy and mineral security, open the door to unprecedented economic returns, and reduce the risks that could lead to a major regional war requiring direct American intervention. With these factors, the U.S.-Saudi partnership in 2025 appears more solid and impactful in the U.S. national security framework than ever before.