Prince Fahd bin Abdullah: An admiral and a desert lover
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah issued a royal decree on Saturday appointing Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad the new deputy defense minister, with a minister’s rank.
Prince Fahd is no stranger to the military or military management and administration. He rose through the naval ranks and his last position was commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.
Before becoming a top naval officer in the Saudi Navy, Prince Fahd held many key positions. While being the chief of the Operations Authority of the Naval forces, he used his vast experiences to upgrade technical and operational capabilities of the Saudi naval forces. He also served as the director at the office of the late Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan.
Being close to the defense minister, he showcased exemplary skills in conducting high-profile communications with various military top brass from the Kingdom and abroad.
In his early youth life, he attended naval schools in the United Kingdom, and was commissioned as a naval officer and continued his higher education.
Prince Fahd holds a master’s degree in military sciences, in addition to many courses in tactical naval operations from well-known schools in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the United States Naval Staff College in New Port, Rhode Island.
During his military career, he showed exemplary ability in command and leadership. He commanded the Saudi Navy during very difficult times, namely the Iran-Iraq war and its effects on strategic navigation in the Arabian Gulf.
He also played a key role in the Tanker War, which attracted much international interest and some US intervention, in addition to the mining of the waters of the Gulf, which had direct effects on one of the most important waterways in the world.
Prince Fahd also played a very big role in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. His role in modernizing the Saudi Navy is immeasurable. He placed the Saudi Navy in line with the most advanced naval forces in the area, with the acquisitions of powerful naval ships from world naval powers such as the United States, France and the UK.
Yet one of the most remarkable milestones in his military life was his humility in interactions with officers and sailors. He kept in close and constant contacts with his men around the Kingdom. Prince Fahd was also known to be the best in time management amid his busy schedule. He was also known for his knowledge of the importance of education, which helped the Saudi Navy upgrade its naval schools and institutes.
His love for education played a very important role in shaping not only his sailors, but also his children, who are very highly educated. His sons are graduates from the best Saudi universities, such as King Saud University and three of his sons are graduates from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, with some continuing their higher education at top-ranking schools in the West.
The prince’s personal life is full of varied experiences and hobbies. He is known for his love for the desert and Arabian horses. His father, Prince Abdullah bin Muhammad, is a half brother of the late King Fahd, and his grand father is Prince Muhammad bin Abdulrahman, who is the brother of the founder of modern-day Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz. His paternal grand father was known to be one of the bravest military commanders and the most philanthropic person of his time. Prince Fahd’s mother is Princess Noura bint Saud, daughter of the late King Saud bin Abdulaziz (1953-1964). She is one of the first high-profile Saudi women to advocate for women’s education and,along with her sister Princess Modi, founded social establishments to help the people in need almost 60 years ago.
The newly appointed deputy defense minister has many national and international medals of achievements such as King Abdulaziz Medal, King Faisal Medal and many naval and administrative medals. We wish Prince Fahd bin Muhammad all the best in his new assignment under the leadership of the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense and Second Deputy Premier Prince Muqrin.
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