Ministerial Department overview | |
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Formed | 17 January 1962 |
Preceding Ministerial Department | |
Jurisdiction | Government of Kuwait |
Headquarters | Kuwait City |
Motto | الله والوطن والامير God, Country and The Emir |
Minister responsible | |
Child Ministerial Department |
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Website | www |
The Kuwait Ministry of Defence (Arabic : وزارة الدفاع الكويتية) is one of the governmental bodies of Kuwait. Its minister in charge is a member of the Cabinet of Kuwait. The current Minister of Defense is Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah. [1] [2] [3]
On 1 July 1961, when the ministry was not established yet during Operation Vantage; the Kuwait Army was the de facto command leadership of the available armed forces since establishment and acted as official minister advising the Emir of Kuwait on course of action. The Kuwait Army redesignated in 1953 was founded 13 years before the enacting of the Kuwait ministry, mainly by Field Marshal Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah (youngest son of Mubarak Al-Sabah) in 1949.
Name | Portrait | Rank | Tenure | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah | Field Marshal | 1949–1961 | General Commander of Kuwait Army and the Directorate of Public Security Force (1942–1961) until the two split in 1953. Founder and patron of Kuwait Army and Kuwait Air Force. | |
The ministry has been headed by the following people since its inception in 1962:
# | Name | Portrait | Title | Tenure | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1962–1964 | Mohammed Al-Ahmad Kuwait Naval Base is named after him. | |
2 | Saad Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1964–1978 | 14th Ruler and 4th Emir of Kuwait (2006) Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences which is in charge of training personnel of the Kuwait Police is named after him [4] | |
3 | Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1978–1988 | ||
4 | Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1988–1991 | Crown Prince of Kuwait (2006–2020), 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait | |
5 | Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1991–1994 | Ali Al-Sabah Military College which is in charge of training personnel of the Kuwait Armed Forces excluding the Kuwait Police is named after him. | |
6 | Ahmad Al-Homoud Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1994–1996 | ||
7 | Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 1996–2001 | ||
8 | Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2001–2011 | Prime Minister of Kuwait (2011–2019) | |
9 | Ahmad Al Homoud Al Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2011 | ||
10 | Ahmad Al Khalid Al Sabah [5] | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2012–2013 | (ret) Lieutenant General and Chief of the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces (2009–2012) | |
11 | Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah [6] [7] [8] [9] | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2013–2016 | (ret) Lieutenant General and Chief of the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces (2012-2013) | |
12 | Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2016–2017 | ||
13 | Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2017–2019 | ||
14 | Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah [10] | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2019–2020 | ||
15 | Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 2020–2022 | [11] | |
16 | Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah | Minister of Defense (Acting) | 2022 | [12] | |
17 | Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 9 March 2022–2 October 2022 | [1] | |
18 | Abdullah Ali Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah | Minister of Defense | 5 October 2022–18 June 2023 | ||
19 | Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 18 June 2023–17 January 2024 | ||
20 | Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense | 17 January 2024-Present |
The major function of the ministry is to implement the government's defence policy and to govern all branches of the Kuwait Armed Forces. [13] It is also responsible for the production, transfer, use, storage, and coordination of mines; and for mine clearance. [13]
The ministry publishes a monthly magazine called Homat Al Watan. [14]
The Kuwait Armed Forces are the military forces of the State of Kuwait. They consist of the Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Army, the Kuwait Navy & the Kuwait National Guard. The governing bodies are the Kuwait Ministry of Defense, the Kuwait Ministry of Interior, and the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate. The Emir of Kuwait is the commander-in-chief of all defense forces while the Crown Prince is the deputy commander.
The House of Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait.
Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was Emir of Kuwait from 2020 until his death in 2023.
Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is a Kuwaiti politician who served as Prime Minister of Kuwait from 7 February 2006 until resigning on 28 November 2011.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah was a Kuwaiti royal and politician who served as the prime minister of Kuwait from 2011 to 2019. He previously served as minister of defense as well as deputy prime minister. In April 2021 a Kuwaiti court ordered his detention on corruption charges.
Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah was the Emir of Kuwait from 15 January 2006, succeeding Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, until abdicating nine days later on 24 January. Prior to that he had been Prime Minister of Kuwait from 1978 to 2006.
The Kuwait Police is an agency of the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait, which maintains the national security envelope, defense of land border, coastal and the rule of law in the State of Kuwait. The Kuwait Police Agency was established in 1938 by Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the Directorate of Public Security Force.
The Cabinet of Kuwait is the chief executive body of the State of Kuwait. The 46th cabinet in the history of Kuwait was appointed on 12 May 2024. On 15 April 2024, Amir of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah assigned His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad as Prime Minister. The Amir has also assigned the Prime Minister to refer the cabinet line-up for their appointment. On 12 May 2024, the new cabinet line up was announced after the Amir approved in an Amiri order. On 15 May 2024, the newly formed gov't swore the constitutional oath before the Emir. On 25 August 2024, Kuwait Emir signed a decree reshuffling cabinet. On 8 September 2024, an Amiri decree was issued accepting the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Oil while issuing another decree appointing the Finance Minister as Acting Oil Minister.
Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah is the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait. A senior member of the Al-Sabah ruling family, he held various government positions from 2006 to 2022, serving as Foreign Minister from 2011 to 2019 and as Prime Minister from 2019 to 2022. He was appointed Crown Prince by Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on 1 June 2024.
Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah is a disgraced former Kuwaiti politician and retired lieutenant general. As a member of the ruling Al Sabah family, he does not belong to the Mubarak branch eligible for the emirate. He served as deputy prime minister and minister of defense from August 4, 2013, to December 11, 2017. Subsequently, he held the positions of deputy prime minister and minister of interior from December 11, 2017, to November 18, 2019.
Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah is a Kuwaiti politician. He was deputy prime minister twice from 1996 to 2003 and in the period 2013–2017 and interior minister (2013–2016) of Kuwait. He was also the defense minister from 2016 to 2017.
The Ministry of Interior is one of the governmental bodies of Kuwait. Its minister in charge is a member of the Cabinet of Kuwait and the current minister of interior is Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah.
Ahmad Al Khaled Al Sabah is a Kuwaiti politician and the former lieutenant general in the Kuwaiti Armed Forces. He served as deputy prime minister and minister of defense of Kuwait from 2012 to 2013.
Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was a member of the House of Sabah and one of the first Kuwaitis to attain the military rank of lieutenant general. He was one of the first Kuwaitis to be commissioned as an officer by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK, and the first Kuwaiti to receive an Amiri Decree for appointment as Chief of the General Staff. Mubarak initiated joint training of Kuwait Armed Forces and United States Armed Forces in 1977 and, the following year, was the first military officer to establish conscription.
Events in the year 2021 in Kuwait.
The Cabinet of Kuwait is the chief executive body of the State of Kuwait. The 39th cabinet in the history of Kuwait was appointed on 28 December 2021. On 23 November 2021, Amir of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah assigned His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as Prime Minister. The Amir has also assigned the Prime Minister to refer the cabinet line-up for their appointment. On 28 December 2021, the new cabinet line up was announced after the Amir approved in an Amiri order. On 17 February 2022, Amir of Kuwait accepted the resignations of the Minister of Defense & Minister of Interior. On 9 March 2022, an Amiri Decree has been issued appointing the interior minister and defense minister. On 22 March 2022, cabinet reshuffle took place, with the 3 existing minister being reassigned portfolios. On 5 April 2022, the Prime Minister tendered a letter of governmental resignation to the Crown Prince. On 10 May 2022, the Emir accepted the government resignation. The government will function as care-taker until the formation of the new government.
Events in the year 2023 in Kuwait.
Events in the year 2024 in Kuwait.
Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah is a former Kuwaiti military officer. He has served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior since January 17, 2024.
Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah is a Kuwaiti politician who has held several ministerial roles, including Minister of Information, Minister of Health, and Minister of State for Amiri Diwan Affairs since August 11, 2021. He is the second son of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, following his older brother Mubarak who died young. His mother is Sheikha Dr. Suad Mohammad Al-Sabah, and he is the direct grandson of the founder of modern Kuwait, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah.