The mission of the Armed Forces is to defend the integrity of the country′s borders and to protect the country against foreign encroachments or invasion. During episodes of severe internal disorder, the Armed Forces have the additional mission of assisting the Security Forces in restoring public order.

The king is president of the Council of Ministers (effectively Prime Minister) and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The Minister of Defense and Aviation exercises operational control and supervision of the Royal Saudi Land Forces (army), the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces. The total personnel strength of the four services was estimated at 76,500 in 1991, rising to 106,000 in 1992.
Similar to the organization of military staffs in the United States, the Saudi Armed Forces have four major sections: personnel (G-1), intelligence (G-2), operations and training (G-3), and logistics (G-4). The chiefs of the four sections are the principal advisers to the chief of staff, who invariably is an army officer. The Armed Forces are further distributed among nine area commands.

The King appoints the senior personnel, frequently princes of the royal family. The Chief of the General Staff, with operational responsibility for the four services, holds the rank of general; the chiefs of the individual services usually hold the rank of lieutenant general.