RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has announced significant changes to its military leadership through a series of royal decrees, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday. While the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli, remains in his position, several other top military roles have been reshuffled.
Lieutenant General Fahd bin Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Salman, who has been promoted from major general, will now serve as the Commander of the Joint Forces, succeeding Lieutenant General Mutlaq bin Salem bin Mutlaq Al-Azima. Al-Azima, who previously held this position, will retire from military service and has been appointed as an advisor at the Royal Court.
In other changes, the former head of the navy, Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah bin Saleh al-Ghufaili, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff. The former Chief of the Land Forces will transition to an advisory role within the office of the Minister of Defense. These changes reflect Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to restructure and strengthen its military leadership.