General Fayyadh bin Hamed bin Raqed Al Ruwaili (born 27 April 1958) is a Royal Saudi Air Force officer who has served as the Chairman of the General Staff of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces since 2018. Before that, he served as Deputy Chairman of the General Staff from 2014 to 2018.
Biography Al Ruwaili was born on 27 April 1958 to a merchant family with ties to the Red Sea trade.Karasik, Theodore (18 May 2014). Hagel and the GCC: Partnership and a Saudi military sweep. Al Arabiya. Retrieved 27 February 2018. He served as the commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force from 2013Al-Ruwaili new air force chief. Arab News. Published 11 May 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2018. MAJ. GEN. FAYYADH AL-RUWAILI PROMOTED TO COMMANDER OF ROYAL SAUDI AIR FORCE.. State News Service. Published 10 May 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2018. to 2014.Saudi Lt-General Mohammad Al-Shaalan, new RSAF Commander. Tactical Report. Published 21 May 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
He was appointed as Deputy Chairman of the General Staff in May 2014 during a reshuffle of the Saudi Arabian military command by King Abdullah. His selection of new commanders reflected a realignment of the kingdom's military to focus on strategic directions of defense. Al Ruwaili, being from the Red Sea coast, was seen as "overlooking" Egypt. Al Ruwaili remained in that role until February 2018, when he was appointed the Chairman of the General Staff.Saudi Lt-General Al-Ruwaili and meetings in Washington. Tactical Report. Published 24 June 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
In March 2022, Al Ruwaili and other Arab military chiefs met the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi to discuss the threat posed by Iran. In September 2026, he met IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to discuss security cooperation. In November 2024, he had visited Iran to meet his counterpart in the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri.
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