News - Middle East: The US and Saudi Arabia are planning to kick off their first-ever experimental counter-drone  exercise in mid-March, Al-Monitor has reported.

The first “Red Sands” exercise will involve US and Saudi-owned air defense systems, but will likely not include other regional militaries, according to four US military officials briefed on the matter.

According to the report, American officials say they intend to include counterparts from additional Middle Eastern militaries in subsequent Red Sands events in the coming months, all of which are expected to be held in Saudi Arabia. 

More than three years after Yemeni missiles and drones slammed into Saudi Aramco oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurays, the report added, US defense officials openly acknowledge that reliance on conventional shows of force has failed to deter Iran’s attacks.

The report pointed out that top brass at CENTCOM are counting on Red Sands to become the Middle East’s premier proving ground for emerging Western counter-drone and -missile technology as Biden administration officials aim to steer partners and allies in the region away from purchasing advanced military hardware from Beijing.

“We should not be surprised if regional partners continue to buy some Chinese gear,” CENTCOM’s Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich told reporters in Washington last month.

“I think that what Red Sands will enable them to do is have better visibility into the quality of Western, European and US gear in particular,” Grynkewich said in response to a question posed by Al-Monitor.

“It's a very hard problem, and we are not perfect at it, but we've got some pretty good things that are coming online that we can experiment with.”

It was not immediately clear why additional militaries aligned with the US weren't scheduled to take part in the inaugural event. One US official speaking on the condition of anonymity cited "capability" reasons, without elaborating, and suggested there was hesitancy among some officials in the region about being seen as part of the exercise.

Saudi Arabia continues its efforts to secure its lands from attacks from Yemen, specifically drones, for which it has not yet found a solution.