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Spotlight SAUDI ARABIA UNITED STATES FRANCE Issue dated 27/05/2015

Riyadh caught between Washington, Paris

The recent chill between Riyadh and Paris over defence contracts notwithstanding, Saudi Arabia is being pulled in two directions as it steps up its diplomatic and military engagement with France while trying to remain in tune with its major ally, [...] (573 words)

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UNITED KINGDOM 20/03/2019

Former UK minister John Hayes has become a consultant for the BB Energy trading group.

Ex-transport minister Hayes advises BB Energy

John Hayes, the former transport minister under Theresa May, joined Esharelife Limited, Maurizio Bragagni's charitable foundation, last month. Bragagni likes to [...]

UNITED KINGDOM 20/03/2019

RAF, BAE support Saudi offensive in Yemen

In a reply on March 11 to a question from [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 26/09/2018

G5 Sahel contract talks resume between Riyadh and Paris

The €150 million envelope Saudi Arabia promised to spend on military materiel for the G5 Sahel countries remains elusive. [...]

FRANCE KUWAIT 28/02/2018

Farid Abdelnour, Airbus' interface in Kuwait

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, visited Kuwait City on February 12-13, a few days after Kuwait's Public Anti-Corruption [...]

UNITED STATES 08/02/2017

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The first special operation launched by President Donald Trump, a SEAL raid in Yakla on January 29, failed to deliver. [...]

UNITED KINGDOM 12/10/2016

Lord Marland cosies up closer to Kuwait

Jonathan Marland, formerly David Cameron’s foreign trade envoy, has joined [...]

UNITED STATES 12/10/2016

AI prompts concern in intelligence community

The Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), a defence [...]

UNITED STATES SAUDI ARABIA 30/03/2016

Barack Obama

Barack Obama, who is expected in Riyadh on April 21, [...]

SAUDI ARABIA UNITED STATES 16/03/2016

Jadwalean helps US defence groups in Riyadh

Local outfit Jadwalean appears to be having some success in helping US companies land contracts with the defence ministry in King Salman bin Abdulaziz’ Saudi Arabia. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 16/03/2016

BtoG observation satellites

Riyadh has made it clear that the contract for optical [...]

FRANCE SAUDI ARABIA 02/03/2016

DGA mooted to replace ODAS

The French defence ministry is considering how to remedy the [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 02/03/2016

Edouard Guillaud

Edouard Guillaud, the chairman of ODAS, the French millitary exports [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 03/02/2016

Saudi Arabian Bajuwaiber aims for skies

Saeed Mubarak Bajuwaiber, who facilitates major contracts with the Saudi Arabian ministry of defence, is looking to play a role in Riyadh's GEOINT deal-making. [...]

FRANCE SAUDI ARABIA 06/01/2016

DONAS: Companies’ scramble in year-end rush to seal deals

French companies were recently in a desperate rush to sign [...]

Breaking news SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 28/12/2015

Paris lands $600 million arms deal in Riyadh for Xmas

Just before Christmas, French officials negotiating the big DONAS contract to equip the Lebanese armed forces flew discreetly to Riyadh, [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 02/12/2015

Kashoggis reappear under Salman Free

OSC Group, the British company that provides outsourced services to companies, has turned to one of Riyadh's oldest networks to [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 02/12/2015

Battle for GEOINT agency

Tension is mounting in Riyadh between the various services that [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 18/11/2015

New GEOINT agency on launchpad

According to our sources, Mohamed bin Salman, the Saudi defence minister, is thinking of merging the communications and observation satellite [...]

Insiders SAUDI ARABIA 28/10/2015

Mohammed Bin Salman, the team behind Saudi Arabia's new strong man

At a little over 30 years old, Mohammed Bin Salman has in a matter of months become Saudi Arabia's strong man. He is the all-powerful Minister of Defence, head of the royal court, director of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and chairman of the supreme council of Saudi Aramco and has control over all major affairs. [...]

UNITED KINGDOM SAUDI ARABIA 21/10/2015

Riyadh hires British mapping expert

Vanessa Lawrence, who headed Ordnance Survey, Britain's mapping agency, from 2000 to 2014, is poised to advise Saudi Arabia in [...]

SAUDI ARABIA EUROPE 23/09/2015

Jeddah urban train deal sorts men from boys

Major Western companies are keeping a close eye on the tender to build Jeddah's new underground rail line. The outcome will indicate which intermediaries have clout in King Salman's Saudi Arabia. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 09/09/2015

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Much has changed in the way Saudi Arabian defence deals are signed and sealed since King Salman bin Abdelaziz acceded to the throne in January. The businessmen who unwisely hitched their wagon to Mutaib bin Abdullah, the head of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) and favourite son of the late King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, are now out of the picture. [...]

Spotlight FRANCE MIDDLE EAST 26/08/2015

ODAS' travails over Saudi Arabia and Iraq

France's military export agency ODAS, which is headed by Admiral Edouard Guillaud, is under increasing pressure from the French ministry of defence and from key international clients who are unhappy about the way it is being run. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 22/07/2015

French patrol vessels in cloud of fog

Paris and Riyadh are in a state of confusion over the contract to deliver patrol vessels to the Saudi navy. Intelligence Online investigates this very French situation. [...]

UNITED STATES 22/07/2015

The ORS

The ORS, the little-known Operationally Responsive Space Office, has contracted [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 24/06/2015

ODAS reshuffles staff to appease MBS

According to our sources, general Jean-Philippe Bonnet, the former military [...]

UNITED STATES 24/06/2015

Michael Flynn

Michael T. Flynn, who headed the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) [...]

Spotlight SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 24/06/2015

Alwaleed's Franco-Saudi networks takeover

With the next meeting of the Franco-Saudi Business Council due to take place on June 24, Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the billionaire businessman who heads the vast conglomerate Kingdom Holding, is looking to take a [. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA UNITED STATES 10/06/2015

Amer Kayani, Orbital's trump card

Washington is positioning its pawns to snag the contract, also being pursued by the French, to supply a constellation of optical observation satellites to Riyadh. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 10/06/2015

Laurent Fabius

Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, recently met his Saudi [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 27/05/2015

King's son Turki bin Salman opens doors

Turki bin Salman, the son of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdelaziz and brother of the country’s defence minister Mohammed bin Salman, is carving a niche for himself as a go-between. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 13/05/2015

Interception, the secret part of DONAS contract

According to Intelligence Online's sources, the Franco-Lebanese defence contract being financed by Riyadh includes the supply of electronic interception materiel. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 29/04/2015

Franco-Saudi contracts muddied by frigate

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Contracts for Fabius, Le Drian, Macron

After taking a hard line on Iran's nuclear policy, Paris is keen to exploit its diplomatic advantage to obtain contracts for French business in Saudi Arabia. [...]

FRANCE YEMEN 08/04/2015

DGSE and DRM support Riyadh

The French intelligence services have turned the taps wide open to share intelligence in support of Saudi Arabia’s Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen. [...]

FRANCE SAUDI ARABIA 11/03/2015

ODAS: patrol ship deal sparks contest

A contract for patrol ships for Saudi Arabia has attracted keen competition. According to our sources, a few days ago [...]

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King Salman deploys security trio

Saudi Arabia's new King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud appointed his son Mohamed bin Salman as defence minister and director of the royal court on January 23, handing him responsibility for the security woes currently facing the kingdom. [...]

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Cameron put in place by Salman

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron is furious at having been [...]

SAUDI ARABIA FRANCE 14/01/2015

Le Drian returns almost empty-handed from Riyadh

French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian paid a brief visit to Saudi Arabia on January 4 but was unable to make headway on a number of blocked bi-lateral export projects. [...]

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Since the shrinking budgets of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) can no longer support the industry alone, the Obama administration has gradually lifted the barriers forbidding foreign exports of US-built military satellites and very [. [...]

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While his predecessor was more focused on Qatar, France's Socialist President François Hollande has been strengthening the diplomatic partnership between Paris and Riyadh. [...]

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Gulf states get into spy satellites

After the United Arab Emirates, Qatar is now looking to have its own military observation satellite, and Saudi Arabia is expected to be next. [...]

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Riyadh caught between Washington, Paris

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Free Articles

Rafale pilots lured by Chinese generosity

London gets ready for Huawei to dominate 5G

SAMI's acquisition of AEC ties up loose ends

Ex-transport minister Hayes advises BB Energy

RAF, BAE support Saudi offensive in Yemen

G5 Sahel contract talks resume between Riyadh and Paris

Farid Abdelnour, Airbus' interface in Kuwait

How SEAL raid went wrong

Lord Marland cosies up closer to Kuwait

AI prompts concern in intelligence community

Barack Obama

Jadwalean helps US defence groups in Riyadh

BtoG observation satellites

DGA mooted to replace ODAS

Edouard Guillaud

Saudi Arabian Bajuwaiber aims for skies

DONAS: Companies’ scramble in year-end rush to seal deals

Paris lands $600 million arms deal in Riyadh for Xmas

Kashoggis reappear under Salman Free

Battle for GEOINT agency

New GEOINT agency on launchpad

Mohammed Bin Salman, the team behind Saudi Arabia's new strong man

Riyadh hires British mapping expert

Jeddah urban train deal sorts men from boys

Abdul Rahman al-Zamil

Special investigation into new Franco-Saudi business networks

ODAS' travails over Saudi Arabia and Iraq

French patrol vessels in cloud of fog

The ORS

ODAS reshuffles staff to appease MBS

Michael Flynn

Alwaleed's Franco-Saudi networks takeover

Amer Kayani, Orbital's trump card

Laurent Fabius

King's son Turki bin Salman opens doors

Interception, the secret part of DONAS contract

Franco-Saudi contracts muddied by frigate

Contracts for Fabius, Le Drian, Macron

DGSE and DRM support Riyadh

ODAS: patrol ship deal sparks contest

King Salman deploys security trio

Cameron put in place by Salman

Le Drian returns almost empty-handed from Riyadh

US on offensive in military imagery business

Nayef centralises contracts

Riyadh rethinks military without US

Saudi Arabia, Hollande's new best friend

Gulf states get into spy satellites

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