http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/13/news/ec ... di-arabia/
No doubt this has to do with increases in costs due to their involvement in Yemen, and the possible ramping up of military support of rebel groups in Iraq and Syria, but how likely is it that Saudi Arabia will become the hegemonic power in the Middle East?The dramatic increase reflects the volatile security situation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has been leading a military campaign against Shiite rebels in neighboring Yemen in recent weeks.
With high oil prices filling its coffers, Saudi Arabia spent $80.8 billion on its military last year -- the fourth highest total in the world. That represents more than 10% of Saudi GDP -- a bigger share than any country other than Oman.
Their forces are well-armed and they have a wide net of alliances, but their land forces (at least) seem very poorly motivated, with recent Houthi counter attacks driving them from several towns on the border. Although the Saudis may indeed have a large pool of finances, is this enough to counter Iran (whose ground forces outnumber Saudi Arabia's) and the increasingly-Islamist Turkey (who has one of the largest forces in the world, with increasing spending on sophisticated hardware)?