He who stretches out his hands in peace will find our hands stretched out to him… but those who dare to trespass will have their hands cut off". So simple and straightforward were those words uttered by HRH Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs but their importance stems from the fact that they summarize the basic position adopted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards all powers, countries, trends and groups. That means Saudi Arabia is at the same distance from all conflicting parties in the region and the world. While stretching out its hands to promote peace and to use its good offices for reconciliation between struggling parties, the Kingdom keeps its other hand ready with the burning force of deterrence which has showered a hellish flow of fire on the heads of infiltrators who dared to trespass the Kingdom's southern borders in a bid to export their confrontation with Yemen beyond its national borders as a means of escalation. But the Saudi response to the move was so tough that the infiltrators were forced to flee back to their bases after their losses soared to hundreds of casualties inflicted by the Saudi Armed Forces in a matter of days.

When we take a close look at this one-sided battle, we can easily see that the balance of powers was clearly tilted in favor of Saudi Arabia given the superiority of Saudi armament and, first and foremost, the superiority of the Saudi military thought. The battle, we can safely say, was obviously like a stroll for the Saudi Army who managed to take full control of the situation in a very short time despite the fact that it was by no means an easy situation. Not that the enemy posed any real danger but it was rather the ruggedness of the area's terrain and social difficulties which have forced themselves on the battlefield. We were facing a sudden case of continuous infiltrations across a mountainous area of intricate details and complicated land terrain not simply a traditional open-space battle. In such a situation, the role of the Saudi soldier becomes critically important. It is well-known that supremacy of the air force alone, no matter how strong it is, cannot be decisive in the absence of land forces. That will depend very much on the culture and the strength of the combat doctrine of the individual soldier. Confidence in the role of the soldier was the Kingdom's main stake as the Army battled the infiltrating militia. The stake proved to be a success worthy of being entered into the book of military history. In contrast, Saudi soldiers have managed, in a limited number of days, to finalize what Russian soldiers, for example, had failed to do in many years in the highlands of Afghanistan or even what international forces have failed to do in the same country despite the huge military arsenals available to the international forces today or the arsenals that were available to the Russian forces at that time, and their war machines which should have turned any battlefield into a blazing hell and would have ploughed the battle land with its high power sophisticated weapons. It takes us back to the very same fact we have mentioned above, the fact that the combat doctrine, driven deep into the minds of Saudi soldiers, and the war culture owned by the Saudi soldiers, their commanders and NCOs constituted the key to this unprecedented and record achievement which counts for a critical test that resulted in drawing the world's attention to the uncommon capabilities of the Saudi Army, and, in the first place, the capabilities of the Saudi soldier.

"The Kingdom wants nothing other than defense and peace and we are working for the common good of all." And.. "The noblest thing that one can do in his life is to deliver on his promise and to commit oneself to that promise at the right time when things take a serious turn and, in doing so, leave his permanent finger prints". These citations are taken from different speeches delivered by the Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation for Military Affairs at various occasions during the repeated visits he used to make to his men in the frontlines. Yet the effect of those words was like a bright light that fell on the guide posts to make them clearly discernible to the Saudi soldier who knew for sure, and beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was on a humanitarian mission, only that he was not an aggressor against anyone, only that he was simply there to stop the aggression against his own territory and his countrymen and the trespass against the sovereignty of his country. Those were decisive and deep-going words which put the Saudi soldier face to face with a religious, moral and humanitarian obligation which makes him understand that the only choice he has is to fight to the last spark of life with the conviction that victory is an honor, death is martyrdom and defeat is an everlasting shame that will never be accepted by the grand children of the forefathers who followed HM the Late King Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, the Kingdom's Founder and who fought the fiercest battles decades ago to found this homeland under the banner of the Founding King, and even before under the banners held up by the Imams of Al-Saud, may Allah rest them in peace. The great stability that has been established and maintained by the Kingdom's governments one after another and led by the sons of the Founder King, the Saudi Kings, and the brotherly and friendly relations established by the leaders with other countries over decades, should never make others think that the Kingdom's forbearance has no limit particularly when it comes to the infringement on its borders. This is the essence of the military culture indoctrinated in the Saudi soldiers and the combat doctrine that the Saudi Armed Forces have always been keen to implant in the hearts and minds of its own soldiers. Those soldiers are likened to the muzzles of guns that remain in a static condition until the other side becomes the first to open fire. There is a complete and firm conviction in the mind of the Saudi soldier that the country's leadership carries him in high respect, that it provides unlimited support to him and that it would be enraged by any abuse against any soldier. A strong evidence of this was the picture promulgated by news agencies and other media showing HRH Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General in the Kingdom's southern border shortly after his return from abroad after a long absence for medical check up and treatment, keen to be among his sons, the Army personnel. A moving and telling picture showed HRH the Crown Prince kissing the heads of wounded soldiers injured during the operations in the south.

This unlimited support to the Saudi soldier, the immediate attention of the leadership to the soldiers, the keenness of the Saudi leadership on showing appreciation of the sacrifices offered by the soldiers and also on maintaining the values upheld by the Armed Forces and the inherited combat doctrine inculcated in the minds of the subconscious of the soldiers add up to the fact that the Saudi soldier is in full possession of the culture and the moral readiness that would ensure his superior ability to achieve what others have failed to do.