Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Defense, inspected Thursday, as part of his current tour of the Armed Forces in the Eastern Region, the marines units, naval security units of the Eastern fleet and the marines training school.

Upon arrival at the venue, he was briefed by the Commander of the Eastern Fleet Rear Admiral Ibrahim Nasser Al-Maghlouth and Senior Officers, on the functions, duties, regulations and abilities of the Eastern Fleet's marines.

The Deputy Minister inspected the units and facilities one by one.

In a surprise announcement on April 20, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed Prince Fahd as Deputy Defense Minister, a post that effectively runs the Kingdom's regular military.

The change came on the eve of U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's visit to Riyadh, during which he finalized the sale of advanced missiles for the Kingdom's American-supplied F-15 aircraft.

Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Muhammad replaced Prince Khalid bin Sultan, who originally came to prominence in 1990 when he was placed in command of Saudi Forces during the U.S.-led Operation Desert Storm.

 

Source: Saudi Press Agency - SPA