Diplomacy

Eagle Eyed

HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

MILITARY HISTORY HH Sheikh Mohamed graduated in 1979 from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he saw training in basic armor, basic flying, helicopter conversion, tactical flying, and paratrooping. Back […]

MILITARY HISTORY

HH Sheikh Mohamed graduated in 1979 from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he saw training in basic armor, basic flying, helicopter conversion, tactical flying, and paratrooping. Back in the Gulf, he was the Commander of the UAE Air Forces and Air Defence and Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, before being appointed Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces in 1993, becoming a Lieutenant-General one year later. Upon the passing of his father, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he became Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in 2005 and promoted to the rank of General as his older brother, HH Sheikh Khalifa, became Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE.

MANY STRINGS

HH Sheikh Mohamed also has much experience in government posts in addition to his military responsibilities. As well as acting as principal advisor to his father, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he became Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in 2003 and, since 2004, has been first Deputy Chairman and later Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. He is also active as a member of the Supreme Petroleum Council, a role that is sure to shape his credentials as the leader of an economy built on hydrocarbons. Elsewhere, he is Head of the UAE Offsets Group, which oversees the channeling of defense-related investments into various sectors. With diversification a cause that is close to his heart, HH Sheikh Mohamed works tirelessly to move the country’s value-added export basket up the value chain.

The Crown Prince is also said to hold the education cause close to his heart, and is Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). In addition to his responsibilities there, he is also the President of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). In terms of the environment, HH Sheikh Mohamed has worked to preserve the country’s natural environment and wildlife, including the falcon, houbara bustard, and Arabian oryx. His passion in this field led to the foundation of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, which he chairs in addition to his Honorary Chairman position at the Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi. A talented and avid falconer, he has sought to get involved wherever the preservation of natural wildlife is required, taking a lead in developing Masdar City, an alternative energy project that seeks to create the world’s greenest city.

The younger brother of HH Sheikh Khalifa, HH Sheikh Mohamed is destined to one day take up the baton of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s development. A military background, coupled with his deep understanding of the role of diversification in the future of the economy, and not forgetting his passion for the environment, mean that HH Sheikh Mohamed is a highly talented Crown Prince and potential future ruler.