U.S. Rethinks Its Role in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia — On an expanse of desert whipped by fine red sand, Capt. Lisa Bartel stands watch over the Patriot missile battery she commands inside this vast Saudi military complex. Her unit is responsible for protecting the base, the surrounding oil installations and a nearby American military housing complex from attack.

But Saudi sensitivity about the kingdom's need for American protection runs so high that publicly, Captain Bartel's mission does not exist. Tough security restrictions bar her and her troops from going into Riyadh except on official business. In five months in the Saudi kingdom, she has never been invited to a Saudi home.

"We have limited interface with the Saudis," Captain Bartel, 30, of Oshkosh, Wis., said soberly. "But I'm here to do a mission."