Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud


Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is a Saudi Arabian soldier and member of the House of Saud, who served as the President of General Intelligence, the Deputy Defense Minister, and as the governor of the Riyadh Province. Prince Khalid is the grandson of Ibn Saud and was the first of such distinction to serve as the governor of the Riyadh Province.

Early life and education

Prince Khalid is the third son of Prince Bandar. Prince Khalid graduated from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in 1973. Prince Khalid also earned a master's degree in military sciences. He participated in advanced foundational courses for armor officers in Saudi Arabia and United States, and also been involved in several different field exercises.

Career

Khalid bin Bandar is a high-ranking commander of the Saudi Arabian Royal Army. He began his military service in the first battalion of the fourth armored brigade. He also worked as an operations officer in the armored forces command, and was later promoted to deputy commander. In the 1980s Khalid served with the G3 armor corps in the Royal Saudi Land Forces. He was promoted to major general in 1997, and was appointed deputy commander of the SALF. In May 2011, Khalid was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant general, and was appointed commander of the SALF. He served in this post until his appointment as Riyadh governor, and was replaced by Eid bin Awadh Al Shalawi. In his role as commander of SALF, he made several visits to foreign nations. He also participated in foreign joint cooperation committees between Saudi Arabia and other countries, including the United States and Russia.
In 1991, Khalid served in SALF during the liberation of Kuwait, and in 2009, Khalid was assigned to participate in South Shield operations against Houthis.
On 14 February 2013, Prince Khalid was appointed governor of the Riyadh province, succeeding Prince Sattam. His deputy was Prince Turki bin Abdullah, who was appointed on the same day.
On 14 May 2014, Prince Khalid was appointed deputy defense minister succeeding Salman bin Sultan. Turki bin Abdullah, was again appointed as his deputy on the same date.
On 30 June 2014 Prince Khalid was appointed president of the General Intelligence. His term ended on 29 January 2015 when he was succeeded by Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan. Prince Khalid currently serves as an advisor to King Salman.

Honors and awards

Khalid was awarded the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud High Class, in 2011. He was also decorated by Pakistani President Asif Zardari with the military crescent medal, which is a medal awarded by Pakistan to distinctive foreign military personalities. He has also received medals from both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for his participation in the Gulf War.