JEDDAH, 23 October 2003 — The government has established a supreme council for military service under the chairmanship of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, according to Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant defense and aviation minister for military affairs.
“Efforts are under way to arrange the first council meeting,” Okaz Arabic daily quoted him as saying. Lt. Gen. Nasser ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Arfej, former head of the armed forces security and intelligence commission, has been named the council’s secretary-general.
Prince Khaled commended the armed forces’ combat capabilities. “I am totally satisfied with the readiness of our armed forces, not just in Tabuk but everywhere,” he added. “Our armed forces are ready to counter any foreign aggression,” he said.
