Consistently complemented Shaikh Khalifa's wise leadership
General Shaikh Mohammad's extensive military experience covers commanding armoured units, Gazelle helicopter squadron, the Air School and the Air College
Abu Dhabi: Thursday marks five years since General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was named Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. He is currently also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. He was born in 1961 and is the third son of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
He received formal education in the UAE and England and graduated from Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in 1979.
In November 2004, he was appointed as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and became Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in January 2005.
He has held various positions and has diverse experiences, which have consistently complemented the wise leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
In January 1993, General Shaikh Mohammad was appointed Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces and held the rank of Lieutenant General from January 24, 1994 until January 2005, when he was promoted to the rank of General. He was appointed as Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on November 30, 2003 and on January 6 2004 became Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
Numerous citations
With his military training, General Shaikh Mohammad's extensive experience covers commanding armoured units, Gazelle helicopter squadron, the Air School and the Air College. He has been Commander of the UAE Air Forces and Air Defence, Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, and Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces.
General Shaikh Mohammad was also the principal advisor on security issues to Shaikh Zayed in addition to his military responsibilities, as well as the President of The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) and an active member of the Supreme Petroleum Council, which has policy jurisdiction over oil and energy issues.
He is also Head of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED — the premier economic planning institution in the UAE).
Since its establishment in 2002, he has been Head of the Mubadala Development, which represents the main investment vehicle for Abu Dhabi to achieve sustainable social and economic benefits for the emirate. General Shaikh Mohammad is also the Head of the UAE Offsets Group.
With an emphasis placed on providing quality education, the Abu Dhabi Education Council was set up in September 2005, with Shaikh Mohammad as its head, to develop education and vocational training.
General Shaikh Mohammad has also received numerous citations and decorations from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy.
Timeline
19/6/2005: Meets French President Jacques Chirac
30/8/2005: Issues decision 22 of 2005 specifying investment areas in Abu Dhabi.
6/6/2006: Sets up The Family Development Foundation board of trustees.
11/7/2007: Issues two resolutions reforming board of the Zayed Centre for Islamic Culture, and forming the board of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.
21/1/2008: Announces setting up of Zayed Future Energy Prize
27/6/2008: Holds talks with US President George W. Bush in Camp David
02/07/2008: Opens new beach on the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
14/7/2008: Launches biometric face recognition technology to enhance national security.
12/1/2009: Meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss political developments with a focus on Israeli war on Gaza.
21/1/2009: Holds talks with George Mitchell, US envoy to the Middle East
4/2/2009: Discusses regional and international issues with Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
15/8/2009: Visits Beijing and signs five agreements to enhance economic, political, military and technical and technological cooperation with China.
10/09/2009: Meets US President Barack Obama at White House
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