Major General Dr Jasim Mohammed Al Marzooqi has been appointed Director-General of the Federal Authority for Ambulance and Civil Defence, following a Federal Decree issued by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The appointment, announced on July 16, 2026, carries the rank of Ministry Undersecretary and moves Al Marzooqi from the Ministry of Interior into the leadership of one of the country's newest federal bodies.
The Federal Authority for Ambulance and Civil Defence was established in October 2025 under a Federal Decree Law, consolidating national responsibility for emergency response, ambulance services and civil defence under a single federal umbrella. Al Marzooqi's appointment places a career emergency-services officer at the head of the young authority as it builds out its mandate and operating structure.
Al Marzooqi brings close to two decades of senior public-safety experience to the role. He served as Commander-in-Chief of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior from 2015, a period during which he oversaw the country's firefighting, rescue and emergency-preparedness operations. Before that, between 2006 and 2015, he was Deputy Director-General of Human Resources at Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, and earlier held a series of leadership positions spanning human resources, training and forensic laboratories.
His career has been recognised internationally. Al Marzooqi has received the Knight's Medal from the International Civil Defence Organisation in Geneva, the Distinguished Leadership Award from the International Fire Protection Association, and the Security Cooperation Medal, among other honours acknowledging his contribution to civil-defence and emergency-management practice.
Al Marzooqi assumes the post with the authority still in its formative phase. Bodies created by federal decree in the UAE typically spend their first years establishing governance frameworks, recruiting specialist staff and defining how they interface with existing emirate-level departments. The choice of a director-general with a long civil-defence command background signals an emphasis on operational continuity rather than a break with established emergency-response practice.
The remit also sits at the intersection of health and security. Ambulance services connect the authority to the wider healthcare system, while civil defence ties it to firefighting, disaster preparedness and public-safety regulation. Leading both under one federal mandate requires coordination across ministries and local governments, and Al Marzooqi's prior roles spanning frontline command, human resources and training are the kind of cross-functional experience the position calls for.
As Director-General, Al Marzooqi is expected to lead the integration of the ambulance and civil-defence functions the new authority was created to unify, coordinating with local emergency bodies across the emirates and setting the standards, training pathways and response protocols that will define its early years. The appointment continues a pattern of the UAE elevating experienced uniformed leaders into the senior ranks of its expanding federal institutions.
