Chief of the General Staff (Kuwait)

The Chief of the General Staff (Arabic: رئيس هيئة الأركان العامة للقوات المسلحة الكويتية) is the chief of staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces which includes and governs the operations and doctrines of the Kuwait Army, the Kuwait Air Force and the Kuwait Naval Force, but excludes the Kuwait National Guard, the Kuwait Police and Kuwait Fire Service Directorate. He is appointed by the Kuwaiti Minister of Defense, a deputy prime minister, who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Kuwait; the latter appointed by the Emir of Kuwait, the Commander-in-chief of the Military of Kuwait. As of 2015, Lieutenant General Mohammed Khaled Al-Khoder is the Chief of the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces; reporting to defense minister Lt. Gen (ret) Sheikh Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah.^[1]

Origin of the Military Office of the Chief of General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces

The Kuwaiti Army was founded 13 years before the enacting of the Kuwait ministry of defense and its office of the chief of general staff, mainly by Field Marshal Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah in 1949. Therefore, prior to Kuwait's achieving independence in 1961 and the establishing of the office of the chief of general staff, the leadership of the Kuwaiti army were the acting ministers of defense and advisors to the Emir of Kuwait. On 1 July 1961, when the ministry was not of birth yet during Operation Vantage; the military leadership acted as official defense ministers advising the Emir of Kuwait on course of action.

List of Chiefs of the General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces (1961 - Present)

List of Deputy Chiefs of the General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces (1961 - 1980)

Military Office of Chief of General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces

Office of Deputy Chief of General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces

Joint Offices of Assistants Chief of General Staff

The joint offices of the assistants chief of general staff; in rank of major generals; are tasked with delegating combat responsibility for logistics supply command, joint military operations, manpower and others. The respective offices report to the military office of the deputy chief of general staff who reports to the military office of the chief of general staff of the Kuwait Armed Force; the latter reporting the Kuwaiti Minister of Defense.

Kuwaiti soldiers from the Al Jahra Force with a tank in the Golan Heights during the October War of 1973.

Joint Assistants Chief of the General Staff Combat Commanders

The joint assistants chief of the general staff combat commanders; in rank of major generals and brigadier generals; are the chief combat commanders of the Kuwait Army, Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Naval Force, the Kuwait Emiri Guard Brigade, the Kuwait Military Police Brigade and the Kuwait Military Fire Service Directorate respectively reporting directly to the office of the deputy chief of general staff; in rank of lieutenant general; the latter reporting to the military office of the chief of general staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces; also a lieutenant general or general; who reports to the Kuwait Minister of Defense.

Assistant Chief Combat Commander of the Kuwait Army

The assistant chief combat commander of the Kuwait Army; a Major General (Arabic: لواء‎); commands at his disposition the combat Brigadier General, Colonel, Chief Warrant Officer (Arabic: وكيل أول ضابط‎) and Warrant Officer commanders of the following infantry, mechanized infantry, artillery, commando, and tank brigades:

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft of the Kuwait Air Force being serviced for a mission on 13 February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.

• Kuwait 6th Liberation Mechanized Brigade
• Kuwait 15th Mubarak Armored Brigade
• Kuwait 26th Al-Soor Mechanized Brigade
• Kuwait 35th Shahid (Martyr) Armored Brigade
• Kuwait 94th Al-Yarmouk Mechanized Brigade
• Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade

Assistant Chief Combat Commander of the Kuwait Air Force

The assistant chief combat commander of the Kuwait Air Force; a major general; commands at his disposition the combat brigadier general, colonel, chief warrant officer and warrant officer commanders of the following air bases and their combat operational assets:

• Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base
• Ali Al Salem Air Base
• Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base
• Air Defense Brigades

Umm Al Maradim La Combattante-class missile-attack-craft Al Fahaheel (P3721) of Kuwait Naval Force in May 2013

Assistant Chief Combat Commander of Kuwait Naval Force

The assistant chief combat commander of the Kuwait Navy; a major general; commands at his disposition the combat brigadier general, colonel, chief warrant officer and warrant officer warfighting naval commanders:

• Kuwait Marine Corps
• Kuwait Naval Warships
• Kuwait Commandos Marine Units

Kuwait Joint Operations

All three of the assistant chiefs combat commanders of the Kuwait Army, Kuwait Navy and Kuwait Air Force conduct joint operations with the various commanders of the Kuwait National Guard, the assistant undersecretary military commanders of the Kuwait Ministry of Interior and the military commmanders of the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate in junction with the commanders of the Kuwait Military Fire Service Directorate to further enhance operational capabilites doctrines and training development programs.

See also

• Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

References