United States Military Training Mission
The United States Military Training Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a Security Assistance Organization which manages and is primarily funded by Foreign Military Sales cases between the United States Government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. USMTM was the result of a meeting between King Abdul Aziz and United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Great Bitter Lake.
Mission
USMTM coordinates security assistance efforts to train, advise, and assist the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces in building defense capacity/capability through military exercises and professional military education in order to promote regional security and to protect common interests of the United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while strengthening strategic partnership.USMTM Goals
To maintain and enhance the strategic partnership between the KSA and the USA.
To train, advise, and assist the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces to:
- Develop and evolve strategic plans and policy.
- Conduct Joint and Coalition operations and exercises.
- Maintain interoperability among SAAF, the U.S., and mutual regional partners.
- Institutionalize the Professional Military Education program.
- Measure readiness for sustainment and modernization of the force.
Within USMTM there are six divisions, each who interfaces with a Saudi counterpart:
- Joint Advisory Division : interfaces with the Ministry of Defense and Aviation.
- Land Forces Division : interfaces with the Royal Saudi Land Forces.
- Naval Forces Division : interfaces with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.
- Air Force Division : interfaces with the Royal Saudi Air Force.
- Marine Forces Division : interfaces with the Royal Saudi Marine Forces component of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.
- Air and Missile Division : interfaces with the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces.
USMTM is a joint training mission and functional component command under the military command of the USCENTCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. USMTM's mission is to advise and assist the Saudi Arabian armed forces through security cooperation efforts in developing, training and sustaining capable deterrent and self-defense forces for Saudi Arabia in
order to facilitate regional security. The mission of USMTM directly supports USCENTCOM's theater strategy to shape, respond and prepare, through forward presence, bilateral and multilateral exercise programs, security assistance activities, and foreign military sales.
Both military and civilian personnel assigned to USMTM are under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department and the Saudi Arabian Ministry Defense and Aviation and are classified as non-combatants under Title 22 of the United States Code.