Prince Khalid bin Salman

Overview

Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was appointed Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) board of directors in February 2024, while simultaneously serving as Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defense since September 27, 2022. Born in 1988 in Riyadh, he is the full brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and brings a unique blend of military, diplomatic, and defense sector experience to the role.

Education

Prince Khalid graduated at the top of his secondary education class in 2006 from Riyadh Schools. He studied at King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in aviation sciences, achieving the rank of flight lieutenant after completing initial training course at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He completed the training program at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. He completed several training courses including the "Senior Executives in National and International Security" from Harvard University and the "Advanced Electronic Warfare" course in Paris.

Career History

• Minister of Defense (September 27, 2022–present)
• Deputy Minister of Defense (February 23, 2019–September 27, 2022)
• Ambassador to the United States (April 23, 2017–February 23, 2019)
• Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 pilot with extensive combat experience

Notable Achievements & Military Background

Prince Khalid bin Salman was one of the first Saudi pilots to participate in air sorties as part of the international coalition campaign against ISIS in Syria, and participated in Operations "Decisive Storm" and "Restoring Hope" in Yemen, accumulating around one thousand flying hours. In 2015, he was appointed as an officer in the Office of the Minister of Defense. As Ambassador to the United States, he served from April 23, 2017 to February 23, 2019, a consequential period in Saudi-American relations.

What Prince Khalid bin Salman could bring to SAMI

As SAMI Board Chair, Prince Khalid bin Salman leverages four years of direct ministerial leadership over Saudi Arabia's $78 billion defense sector, combined with deep military aviation expertise and proven U.S.-Saudi defense partnership management. His background as a combat-experienced F-15 pilot provides practical understanding of military capabilities and procurement priorities, while his tenure as Deputy Minister overseeing defense industry modernization aligns SAMI's localization objectives with Vision 2030 targets. His appointment signals strategic focus on accelerating Saudi Arabia's domestic defense manufacturing capacity and strengthening international defense industry partnerships—positioning SAMI to advance from its current status to a more globally competitive defense technology player.