Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia today, July 7, in Mecca concluded trilateral defense agreement, which provides that attack on any member country of treaty will automatically be considered attack on all three countries.
Effectively this involves creating super-powerful defense alliance built on NATO's main principle. Agreement signing can be considered certain surprise, as it occurred without lengthy public discussion, insiders and information leaks.
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Although this is genuine tectonic shift of security architecture through combined military force of all three countries. Especially considering Pakistan has its own nuclear weapons and medium-range ballistic missiles. But even conventional forces of countries are enormous power.
Specifically Turkiye has 355,000-strong armed forces. Turkish ground forces are 260,000 military, over 2,300 tanks, albeit obsolete models, as Leopard 2A4 is only 250, as well as over 7,000 other armored vehicles including MRAP. Significant artillery component — over 1,700 large-caliber systems, of which approximately 300 modern 155mm Firtina.
Turkiye has weighty naval forces, having 13 submarines, 17 frigates and 9 corvettes, as well as world's first drone carrier Anadolu, which initially was to be aircraft carrier for F-35B. Turkish Air Force is primarily approximately 260 multirole F-16 fighters.
Also important to add Ankara currently implements entire range of breakthrough projects for its defense industry. They include creating own Yildirimhan intercontinental ballistic missile, KAAN fighter, full aircraft carrier MÜGEM, own long-range Siper SAM system and so on.
Saudi Arabia, which has colossal financial resources, by quantitative and qualitative armed forces composition is also one of main forces in region. Armed forces number 257,000. Of them ground forces only 75,000 (another 130,000 is national guard), which have in service approximately 1,000 tanks, of which approximately 600 are M1A2S Abrams, over 3,500 other armored vehicles, as well as approximately 500 large-caliber artillery units.
Saudi Arabia Navy numbers 12 frigates and 4 corvettes. But main strike force is air force: approximately 150 multirole F-15S close to newest F-15EX, as well as 71 Eurofighter Typhoon, additionally approximately 70 pure F-15C/D fighters and up to 80 obsolete Tornado, as well as 7 AWACS aircraft including 5 E-3A Sentry.
Also Saudi Arabia has most powerful ground air defense component: 6-9 Patriot PAC-3 batteries, another 2 PAC-2 batteries, as well as full missile defense systems — THAAD, for which $15 billion was paid. At same time Riyadh has no shortage of defense funds and can afford to buy up effectively any weaponry, running only into political restrictions, as, for example, with F-35, which despite all talk were never contracted.
In turn Pakistan, besides nuclear status with approximately 170 warheads, has 660,000-strong armed forces. Of them 560,000 are ground forces, having over 2,500 tanks, of which half are modern models, approximately 3,500 other armored vehicles, as well as over 2,000 large-caliber artillery units.
Pakistan Navy is 8 submarines, 9 frigates and 2 corvettes. And air force is genuine zoo of approximately 360 fighters, which was analyzed in detail against backdrop of battles with India in May 2025. But main force is 150 Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 and only 20 pure Chinese J-10CE, to whose credit are claimed downed Rafale, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI.
Overall armed forces of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan number over 1.2 million people. Of them ground forces 1 million people with approximately 5,800 tanks, of which 2,000 can be called modern, approximately 14,000 other armored vehicles, 4,200 large-caliber artillery units. Navies of three countries: 21 submarines, 38 frigates, 15 corvettes. Air forces number approximately 1,000 fighters.
Meaning overall this involves super-powerful regional defense union, each member of which has its own security tension points. Largest of them are problematic relations of Pakistan and India, which last year escalated into direct combat operations. As well as Turkiye and Greece. At same time, specifically conclusion of this union may force iran to abandon any strikes on Saudi Arabia.
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