Worried over the possibility of an Al Qaeda attack on its oil installations, Saudi Arabia, home to 25 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves, has begun setting up a special security force to guard its oil infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is reported to be investing $4-5 billion in the force.
The force already numbers about 5000, a Saudi advisor told The Financial Times, London, who are being trained in the use of new surveillance equipment, countermeasures and crisis management. It is expected to reach its full complement in three years' time. New recruits are being vetted strictly.
The new force will be responsible for external and internal security, and are mostly being recruited from outside the existing security forces.
The training programme is being managed by the American defence group Lockheed Martin, reports the Middle East Economic Survey. The personnel is being put through laser security and satellite imaging by Lockheed, on behalf of Sandia National Laboratories' Defence Systems and Assessments Unit, run by the United States government in New Mexico.
For the record, Lockheed has said it did not have any information on the initiative.
Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure is currently being protected by the state oil company Aramco's 15,000 agents. The kingdom has more than 80 oil and gas fields, and their produce is sent out through 11,000 miles of pipeline.
Saudi Arabia is not alone in boosting security. Washington last month unveiled an arms deal with the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, to boost the region's security. The deal is estimated to be worth $20bn.
The threat is real. Saudi Arabia has seen many attacks on its infrastructure, which have so far failed to disrupt the flow of oil. In February 2006, however, extremists managed to attack the Abqaiq oil facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province, setting off alarm bells. While it did not disrupt oil exports, the attack pushed up oil prices by $ 2 a barrel.
The attack also drove home the need for setting up a separate security force for Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure.
