Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, نواف الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=Nawwāf al-Ahmad al-Jābir as-Sabāh; born 25 June 1937) is the

emir of Kuwait The Emir of the State of Kuwait is the monarch and head of state of Kuwait, the country's most powerful office. The emirs of Kuwait are members of the Al Sabah dynasty. Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the emir of Kuwait on 30 Sep ...

and the

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the

Kuwait Military Forces The Kuwait Military Forces ( ar, القوات المسلحة الكويتية, Al-Quwwat Al-Musallahah Al-Kuwaitiyah) are the military forces of the State of Kuwait. They consist of the Kuwait Air Force, the Kuwait Army, the Kuwait Navy & the K ...

. On 29 September 2020, he succeeded to the throne following the death of his half-brother

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, الشيخ صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Sabāh al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ; 16 June 192929 September 2020) was the Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwa ...

. Nawaf had been nominated as

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

on 7 February 2006.

Early life and education

Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was born on 25 June 1937. He is a son of the 10th ruler of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He studied at various schools in Kuwait.

Career

Nawaf is one of the most senior members of the

House of Sabah The House of Sabah ( ar, آل صباح ''Āl Ṣubāḥ'') is the ruling family of Kuwait. History Origin The Al Sabah family originate from the Bani Utbah confederation. Prior to settling in Kuwait, the Al Sabah family were expelled from Umm ...

. At 25, he was appointed

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Hawalli on 21 February 1962 and held the post until 19 March 1978. He was

Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

السيرة الذاتية لسمو الشيخ نواف الاحمد الجابر الصباح
، وكالة الأنباء الكويتية كونا – نشر في 7 فبراير 2006، دخل في 11 أبريل 2010 from 1978 to 26 January 1988, when he was appointed

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

. Following the liberation of Kuwait in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, Nawaf was appointed the acting minister of labor and social affairs on 20 April 1991 and held the post until 17 October 1992. Following his appointment to the cabinet in 1991, a group of senior military officers sent a letter to

Jaber al-Ahmad Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (29 June 1926 – 15 January 2006) ( ar, الشيخ جابر الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Jābir al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ) was Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwa ...

, the Emir at the time, demanding that Nawaf, the minister of defense during the

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was an operation conducted by Iraq on 2 August 1990, whereby it invaded the neighboring State of Kuwait, consequently resulting in a seven-month-long Iraqi military occupation of the country. The invasion and Ira ...

, and

Salem al-Sabah Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, par ...

, the minister of interior during the invasion, be dismissed from the government and investigated for Kuwait's lack of military preparedness on the day of the invasion. As a result, Nawaf was not appointed to a cabinet-level position until 2003. 210908-D-TT977-0117 (51437260308)

On 16 October 1994, Nawaf was appointed deputy chief of the

Kuwait National Guard The Kuwait National Guard or National Guard (KNG) ( ar, الحرس الوطني الكويتي) is an independent combat institution tasked mainly with the defense of the country and its territories.

and held that post until 2003.

Archives, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Retrieved 7 March 2015 The same year, he reassumed the post of minister of the interior until an Amiri Decree was issued on 16 October 2003 making him first

Deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

Prime Minister of Kuwait and

. Nawaf played a role in supporting programs that support national unity among the

Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( ar, مجلس التعاون لدول العربية الخليج ), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ar, مجلس التعاون الخليجي), is a regional, interg ...

and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

countries. With the ascendance of

to the leadership of Kuwait on 29 January 2006, an Amiri Decree was issued on 7 February 2006 officially designating Nawaf the Crown Prince. This was contrary to the tradition of the

Al-Sabah family The House of Sabah ( ar, آل صباح ''Āl Ṣubāḥ'') is the ruling family of Kuwait. History Origin The Al Sabah family originate from the Bani Utbah confederation. Prior to settling in Kuwait, the Al Sabah family were expelled from Umm ...

, according to which the offices of Emir and Crown Prince are supposed to alternate between the Al-Jaber and Al-Salem branches. Sabah died on 29 September 2020 and Nawaf was announced as the Emir of Kuwait during a meeting of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

Personal life

Nawaf married Sharifa Sulaiman Al-Jasem Al-Ghanim, daughter of Sulaiman Al-Jasem Al-Ghanim by his wife, Ruqayyah bint Abdullah Al-Abd Al-Razzaq. They have four sons and a daughter.

Honors and awards

*: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

(23 May 2008) *: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Liberator General San Martín The Order of the Liberator General San Martín ( es, Orden del Libertador General San Martín) is the highest decoration in Argentina. It is awarded to foreign politicians or military, deemed worthy of the highest recognition from Argentina. It is ...

(1 August 2011) *: (29 January 2007) *:

Grand Collar of the State of Palestine The Grand Collar of the State of Palestine is the highest civilian Order (distinction), order of the State of Palestine. It can be given to foreign dignitaries, kings, heads of state or government and persons of similar rank by the State of Palest ...

(13 November 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 1937 births Living people House of Al-Sabah Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit Grand Crosses of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin Defence ministers of Kuwait Labour ministers of Kuwait Interior ministers of Kuwait Social affairs ministers of Kuwait Rulers of Kuwait Muslim monarchs Kuwaiti Muslims

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Honors and awards

See also

References