On February 26, 2018, Air Force General Fayad bin Hamid bin Raked al-Ruwayli took office as the Chief of Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, the largest armed force in the Gulf region. So far, the Chief of Staff has been in office for nearly six years. Under his leadership, the Saudi armed forces have withdrawn from the quagmire of the war in Yemen, and have continuously launched large-scale procurement of advanced weapons and equipment, constantly updating the weapons and equipment of the Saudi armed forces to enhance their combat effectiveness. General Ruwayli has always firmly grasped the development direction of the Saudi armed forces.
On December 13, 2023, General Ruwayli presided over the 2nd Chiefs of Staff Meeting of the Islamic Military Anti-Terrorism Alliance Member States, which once again attracted the attention of the world to the Saudi military’s top commander.
Born in a Sunni merchant family, grew up in the Saudi Air Force
On April 27, 1958, Ruweli was born in an ordinary Sunni Muslim merchant family in Turayf, Northern Xinjiang Province, Saudi Arabia. Ruweli is a devout Sunni Muslim. Ruweli’s wife comes from a merchant family on the Red Sea coast. Ruweli graduated from Turayf Primary School and Junior High School and Aral High School. After that, he was admitted to the Saudi King Faisal Air Force Academy (located in Riyadh) with excellent grades. After graduation, he was awarded the rank of Air Force Second Lieutenant. After flight training, he became a fighter pilot in the Saudi Air Force.
After joining the army, Ruweli received military education in Saudi Arabia and the United States, and has a deep foundation in Saudi and American military theory. In addition to graduating from King Faisal Air Force Academy, Ruweli received a scholarship to receive flight training in Lakeland, Florida, USA, and later obtained a master’s degree in military science from the United States Air Force Command and Staff College (located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, affiliated with the United States Air Force University), and then obtained a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Air Force University (also located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama), becoming one of the few "double master’s officers" in the Saudi Air Force at the time.
As a Saudi Air Force fighter pilot, Ruweli served in several Saudi Air Force bases; as an air force commander, he served as the squadron leader of the 3rd Squadron of the Saudi Air Force, the commander of the 2nd Wing, the deputy commander and commander of King Fahd Air Base, and was promoted to Air Force Major General. According to the data, King Fahd Air Base is located in the west of Taif City, Mecca Province. It is home to the 2nd Wing of the Saudi Air Force and its subordinate squadrons, namely the 3rd (equipped with Typhoon fighters), 5th (equipped with F-15C/D fighters), 10th (equipped with Typhoon fighters), 14th, 34th (equipped with F-15C/D fighters), 80th (equipped with Typhoon fighters) and a detachment of the 12th Squadron. It can be seen that the base is home to heavy Typhoon and F-15C/D fighters. It is the main combat air base of the Saudi Air Force and a typical base for mixed British and American fighters.
Formerly served as the commander of the Saudi Air Force and supported modern procurement
On May 10, 2013, Ruweli succeeded the retired Lieutenant General of the Air Force Mohammed Ayesh as the 12th commander of the Saudi Air Force and was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Air Force, commanding the strongest air force in the Arab world. However, he served as the commander of the Air Force for only one year. The Saudi Air Force is the most powerful air force in the Arab world, with a total strength of about 25,000 troops and 1,106 aircraft; it has 9 wings under its jurisdiction, stationed in 7 bases. The 1st and 5th wings are stationed at King Khalid Air Base (located in Khamis Mushait, Asir Province), the 2nd wing is stationed at King Fahd Air Base (located in Taif, Mecca Province), the 3rd and 11th wings are stationed at King Abdullah Aziz Air Base (Dhahran, Eastern Province), the 4th wing is stationed at King Saud Air Base (Riyadh, Riyadh Province), the 6th wing is stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base (located in Khairj, Riyadh Province), the 7th wing is stationed at King Faisal Air Base (located in Tabuk, Tabuk Province), and the 8th wing is stationed at King Abdullah Air Base (located in Jeddah, Mecca Province).
As the commander of the Air Force, Ruweli supports the modernization of the Saudi Air Force procurement, promotes equipment upgrades, promotes the establishment of a network protection force, and pays attention to foreign exchanges. During Ruveli’s term, the Saudi Air Force received two British-made Typhoon fighter jets. He also pushed for the Saudi Air Force to set up a cybersecurity unit to protect the Saudi Air Force from cyber attacks. Ruveli also met with the then Turkish Chief of General Staff, Army General Akar, to discuss bilateral air force exchanges and cooperation.
Through modern procurement in recent years, the Saudi Air Force has the strongest combat capability in the Arab world. It now has 62 F-15Cs, 21 F-15Ds, 207 F-15S/SAs (equivalent to F-15Es), 72 "Typhoon" fighters, and 81 British-made "Tornado" fighters. The total number of fighters has reached 443, which is much more than the 329 third-generation fighters of the Egyptian Air Force (including 240 F-16 fighters, 19 "Mirage 2000" fighters, 46 MiG-29s, and 24 Rafales) and the 152 third-generation fighters of the UAE Air Force (including 56 F-16Es, 22 F-16Fs, 59 Mirage-2000s, 15 Mirage-2000 9DADs, excluding the newly purchased 80 Rafales). The combat capability is quite strong.
Served as Deputy Chief of Staff, planning combat operations against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen
On May 14, 2014, Ruweli was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff of the Saudi Army, and the Air Force Commander was replaced by Lieutenant General Mohammed Sharan, who became the 13th Commander of the Saudi Air Force. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Ruweli became the de facto second-in-command of the Saudi Army. He actively assisted the then Chief of Staff, General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh Binyan, in performing his duties. On May 27, 2014, as Deputy Chief of Staff, he led a delegation to the 12th Air Force of the US Air Force for exchanges, and held consultations on military cooperation with Lieutenant General Walters, then Commander of the Air Force (later Commander of the European Command).
On March 26, 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched a strike against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, codenamed "Operation Decisive Storm". On April 22, it was renamed "Operation Rebuilding Hope", and launched a combat operation against the Houthi armed forces that has lasted for more than 8 years. As the deputy chief of the general staff, Ruweli actively participated in the planning of combat operations in the "war house" of the war against Yemen, and actively provided advice to the then chief of the general staff, Army General Benyan, and especially suggested using the advantages of the Saudi Air Force to launch air strikes against the Houthi armed forces to minimize casualties.
In early June 2015, the Houthi armed forces’ "Scud" missiles hit the King Khalid Air Base, resulting in the death of the then Air Force Commander Sharan, who was commanding the air strikes to intervene in the Yemeni civil war at the base, and was replaced by Air Force Major General Abdullah bin Ibrahim Ghamdi as the acting Air Force Commander. On June 10, 2015, Major General Mohammed Otaibi officially replaced the deceased Sharan as the 14th Air Force Commander.
Served as Chief of Staff, focusing on foreign military exchanges
On February 26, 2018, Saudi King Salman adjusted the supreme commanders of the joint forces and strategic missile forces of the various services of the army. Ruweli was promoted from Deputy Chief of Staff to Chief of Staff. It is particularly noteworthy that the Minister of Defense continues to be Khalid Salman, a member of the royal family and the son of the current King Salman. The two royal family members are in charge of the joint forces and the Air Force respectively, further strengthening the royal family’s command and control over the army and safeguarding Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Public opinion generally believes that Ruweli’s appointment as Chief of General Staff and the comprehensive replacement of the Saudi armed forces’ top brass are, on the one hand, to promote the comprehensive military reform initiated by Crown Prince Salman, and on the other hand, it is due to the king’s dissatisfaction with the progress of the three-year military conflict between the Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Yemeni Huzhai armed forces. He hopes to push more capable leaders to the forefront and reverse the unfavorable situation on the front line by replacing generals.
On February 26, 2018, Lieutenant General of the Air Force Ruweli succeeded the retired Army General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh bin Yanyan as the 14th Chief of General Staff and was promoted to Air Force General. Lieutenant General Mutlak Salem Mutlak Ezaimeh replaced Ruweli as Deputy Chief of General Staff. Lieutenant General Fahd Turki Abdullah Aziz Al Saud, a member of the royal family, was appointed as the commander of the joint forces. Lieutenant General Fahd Abdullah Mohammed Mittel replaced Fahd Turki as the commander of the army. Lieutenant General Jarala Mohammed Jarala Elwitt was appointed as the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces. Lieutenant General Turki Bandar Al Saud, a member of the royal family, replaced the retired Major General Mohammed Otaibi as the commander of the Air Force. Lieutenant General Maziad Suleiman Maziad Amro Air Defense Force replaced the retired Lieutenant General Mohammed Awad Mansour Suhaim Air Defense Force as the commander of the Air Defense Force.
As the chief of the general staff, Ruweli cares about the officers and soldiers of the troops and has visited the troops many times for inspection. On June 20, 2018, he visited the wounded soldiers at Prince Sultan Medical Military City in Riyadh and conveyed the cordial greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed to the wounded soldiers and their gratitude for fighting for national security; on December 23, 2018, he accompanied Crown Prince Mohammed Salman to inspect the King Faisal Air Force Academy. On June 25, 2023, he visited the Air Force to inspect and assess the combat readiness. Ruweli puts the top priority of military diplomacy on Muslim countries. On March 13, 2018, he met with Admiral Abbas, then Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan, who was visiting. On September 22, 2023, he led a delegation to visit Pakistan and exchanged views with Army General Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Pakistan, and Army General Munir, Chief of Army Staff, on defense and security issues; on November 1, 2023, he met with Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan, who was visiting, to hold consultations on bilateral naval cooperation and regional maritime security. On November 22, 2018, he visited Jordan and was received by King Abdullah II of Jordan. From November 27 to 29, 2019, he visited Dhaka, Bangladesh and met with Army Chief of Staff of Bangladesh, General Ahmed, to exchange views on strengthening bilateral military cooperation. On May 27, 2021, he went to Abu Dhabi to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Saudi military attaché building in the UAE, saying that the new building will better serve the defense and military cooperation between the two countries and further enhance the brotherly military friendship between the two countries; on August 1, 2021, he met with Lieutenant General Disyab bin Saqar Al Nuaimi, Commander of the Bahrain Defense Forces, at King Salman Air Base in Riyadh. The two exchanged views on military issues and issues of common concern to regional stability and security. On September 7, 2022, he visited Qatar and held consultations with Lieutenant General Nabit, Chief of the General Staff of Qatar, on regional issues of common concern. On December 27, 2022, he met with the visiting Egyptian Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Askar. On December 13, 2023, Ruweli presided over the 2nd Chiefs of Staff Meeting of the Islamic Military Anti-Terrorism Alliance member states, focusing on discussing the Islamic Military Anti-Terrorism Alliance initiative, formulating anti-terrorism strategies, and assisting member states in counter-terrorism, combating violent activities and extremism.
The United States and its allies are another major military and diplomatic focus of Ruweli. On June 14 and December 1, 2019, he led a delegation to visit the United States twice and met with then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army General Milley. On January 30, 2020, he met with then-Commander of the U.S. Central Command, Marine General McKenzie. On November 17, 2022, he met with the visiting Commander of the U.S. Central Command, Army General Kurira, to discuss military cooperation between the two sides. On March 19, 2021, he met with visiting Greek Chief of Defense General Staff General Floros in Riyadh, held consultations with the latter on defense cooperation and issues of common concern, and awarded him a medal. He also supported the Saudi Air Force F-15C to go to Greece to participate in the "Falcon Eye 1" exercise with the Greek Air Force F-16, Mirage-2000, and F-4 to further enhance the two sides’ coordinated combat capabilities and alert levels. On July 11, 2023, he met with visiting South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Chung Beom-chul in Riyadh to hold consultations on defense cooperation.
As a witness of the eight-year conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi armed forces in Yemen and one of the planners of the air force military operation, Ruweli clearly realized that continuing to engage in fighting with the Houthi armed forces in Yemen would not benefit Saudi Arabia’s national defense security and national interests. He and other Saudi leaders began to change their strategies and seek a ceasefire and reconciliation with the Houthi armed forces. In April 2022, the two sides reached an agreement to cease fire through UN negotiations. After Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a reconciliation in 2023, Saudi Arabia accelerated the pace of communication and reconciliation with the Houthi armed forces. On December 23, 2023, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen stated that the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi armed forces both agreed to a ceasefire. The United Nations will also adopt a peace roadmap plan to implement the ceasefire commitment, achieve a nationwide cessation of armed confrontation in Yemen, and restore national reconstruction and economic development.
Conclusion
Under Ruweli’s leadership, the Saudi military will further enhance its combat readiness capabilities, strengthen foreign military cooperation, and expand the influence of the Saudi military in the Middle East and even the world. Ω
