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full-time military career ended on the death of his father in 2004 when he became crown prince and heir apparent to his half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa. In early 2014, due to Sheikh Khalifa’s ill health, he became de facto leader and, upon his death in May 2022, became ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE.
MbZ has used his military experience to good effect, lobbying the USA for F-16 fighters. When offered the standard F-16a, he said he wanted the latest model he had read about in aviation magazines. Informed that the research and development had yet to take place, he offered to pay for it and, in the words of Assistant Secretary of State Richard Clarke, ‘Ended up with better F-16s than the US Air Force’. Seeking to beef up his ground forces, he invited retired Australian general Mike Hindmarsh to head the project as well as command the Presidential Guard. His success has made the small force one of the best in the region – it was bestowed the name ‘little Sparta’ by former US Defence Secretary James Mattis.
As the ruler of a small yet rich Gulf State, MbZ has trod a careful path between various allies and, while counting the USA as the most important, has also established close ties with Israel and Russia, who trained Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Arab in space. However, his support of Saudi Arabia’s military action in support of the government of Yemen against Houthi rebels has caused controversy. One of MbZ’s younger sons, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed, graduated from Sandhurst in 2020, one of almost 300 from his country who have trained at the Academy since 1969.
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