Overview
- President Donald Trump announced the move during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House.
- Major Non‑NATO Ally status is an administrative U.S. designation that expands defense trade and military cooperation but does not create mutual defense obligations.
- Saudi Arabia becomes the 20th country with MNNA status, joining partners such as Israel, Japan, South Korea and Australia.
- The status makes Saudi entities eligible for U.S. Department of Defense research and development agreements, material loans for testing, and certain munitions purchases.
- Companies based in an MNNA may bid on DoD maintenance and overhaul contracts abroad, and the designation opens access to U.S. funding for counter‑terrorism and explosive‑detection R&D.