His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Oman’s Supreme Commander, conferred medals of Excellent Service and Royal Commendation on a number of Officers, non-commissioned Officers (NCOs) and personnel of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and other departments of the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) .

The ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs at Al Murtafaa Garrison.

HH Sayyid Shihab pinned the medals on the Medal of Excellent Service and the Medal of Royal Commendation on the honoured officers, NCOs, military and civil personnel of the SAF and the RGO, in appreciation for their dedication and sincerity in serving the homeland and performing their sacred national duty.

HH Sayyid Shihab congratulated the recipients of the Royal medals. He praised them for their outstanding efforts and encouraged them to keep up the good performance under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the Supreme Commander, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

The ceremony was attended by Dr. Mohammed Nasser Al Zaabi, Secretary General at the Ministry of Defence, Vice Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al Raisi, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, Major General Mattar Salim Al Balushi, Commander of the Royal Army of Oman, Air Vice Marshal Khamis Hammad Al Ghafri, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman, Rear Admiral Saif Nasser Al Rahbi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman, Major General Salim Ali Al Hosni, Commander of the Royal Guard of Oman and Major General Hamid Ahmed Sakroon, Chairman of the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies.

In another development, the Royal Army of Oman (RAO) celebrated Monday the Sultan’s Armed Forces Day (SAF Day), which falls on 11 December every year.

The ceremony, which took place at Al Murtafaa Garrison in the Governorate of Muscat, was held under the auspices of Sayyid Saud Hilal Al Busaidi, Governor of Muscat.

The event began with a military salute to the Governor of Muscat. The RAO band played the Royal Anthem, followed by episodes of the celebration. The chief guest and attendees saw examples of training exercises, military shows and various field skills that demonstrated competence and skill mastered by members of the RAO.

The attendees also watched an equestrian show and a tent-pegging show performed by the Sultan of Oman’s Armored Cavalry, followed by a free-fall show performed by a team from the Sultan of Oman’s Parachutes regiment.

After that, the Sultan of Oman's Artillery gave a show highlighting field skills mastered by the military personnel. A show featuring modern military mechanisms and equipment used in the Royal Army of Oman was also held. It revealed the servicemen’s competence in safeguarding Oman’s accomplishments and defending its lands.

Then, the Governor of Muscat felicitated members of the RAO and distributed medals of Long Excellent Service.

The ceremony was attended by commanders of the SAF and other military and security units, SAF veteran commanders, SAF senior officers, other military and security units, senior retired officers, SAF personnel and a group of school students.