[malkarouri]

"Saudi Arabia has a military far exceeding most European states"

Speaking about knowledge of international politics, this statement is simplistic and arguably wrong. Saudi Arabia does have one of the largest military budgets in the world, but that does not translate to better or more military. It translates to buying more equipment and giving more money to the weapons industry in the US, the UK and other countries. The US is the main beneficiary, so it is kind of like protection money.

In particular, Saudi Arabia is far from the biggest military force in the Middle East in practice. Israel, Egypt, Iran, and Saddam-era Iraq are/were all far stronger. The last fact is the reason that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait invited the US and the coalition when Saddam invaded Kuwait, despite the loss of face. And it is the reason the US is military active in the Gulf region: Saudi Arabia is nowhere near Iran military speaking..

[malkarouri]

Saudis spend the most money on hardware, yes. But the hardware is left unused, and the sole reason for it is as a token in lieu of payments for US and allies.

The Saudi Arabian army does not project any power in the region, and is not a player. Saudi Arabia is not even able to support its allies in Lebanon against Iran-backed military players.

[amalag]

So actually we can say Saudis spend the most money on the most expensive hardware.