Mushaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the 17th Emir of Kuwait, entered politics through the door of security and military work, in which he spent more than 56 years since graduating from the Hendon Police College in Britain in 1960.
He became the head of the General Intelligence Department for 13 years (from 1967 to 1980), and this body was transformed under his leadership into the State Security Agency, which still bears this name.
He was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the National Guard in April 13, 2004, which is a military force independent of the army and police, and aims to assist the armed forces and public security agencies and contribute to national defense purposes. Sheikh Meshaal, who is described as one of the most important security men in Kuwait, continued to rise through the ranks of the Ministry of Interior, until Sheikh Jaber appointed him in 2004 Deputy Prime Minister of the National Guard with the rank of minister.
He remained in this position until he assumed the position of Crown Prince on October 8, 2020, by the appointment of his brother, the late Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the approval of the National Assembly.
Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad (born September 27, 1940) was born in Kuwait and raised in the ruling family. He is the seventh son of the ruler of Kuwait, Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (the 10th of the emirs of Kuwait), and the brother of three rulers: Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He received his education at the Mubarakiya Public School in Kuwait, and then he moved to Britain to study police sciences.
On the military level, the National Guard witnessed during his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister of the National Guard stages of development that reached the distinction of this military security institution in carrying out its tasks in the system of defending the country and maintaining its security and stability, supporting the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior.
The National Guard was able to adopt three strategic five-year plans: (2010-2015) “Security is the basis of development”, (2015-2020): “Security first”, and (2020-2025): “Protection and support”.
On the political level, Sheikh Meshaal did not hold any ministerial portfolio until his appointment as Crown Prince, where he assumed major responsibilities in the management of the state, especially in light of the health absence of the late Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad.
Sheikh Meshaal managed the strained relations between the government and the National Assembly, which led to the dissolution of the Council twice by constitutional decree and the cancellation by a decision of the Constitutional Court, and the holding of two parliamentary elections.
On November 16, 2021, the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, issued a decree ordering the Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to exercise some of the constitutional powers assigned to him, temporarily.
This was in accordance with Article 7 of the Constitution, which states that “The Crown Prince shall deputize for the Emir in exercising his constitutional powers in the event of his absence outside the State in accordance with the conditions and circumstances set forth in Articles 61, 62, 63, and 64 of the Constitution. The Emir may also consult the Crown Prince on any matter within the powers of the Head of State under the Constitution.”
According to an explanatory memorandum for the draft law on the succession to the emirate, Article 7 established the rule of “the deputyship of the Crown Prince for the Emir when he is outside the country, and it allowed that he may be consulted by the Emir on any matter within his powers.”
He held many honorary positions, including Honorary President of the Kuwaiti Pilots and Aviation Engineers Association during the period (1973-2017). Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late Emir of the country, appointed him in 1977 as the head of the Diwaniya of Nabati poets. He is one of the founders of the Kuwaiti Amateur Radio Association and its honorary president in 1979.
On the personal level, Sheikh Meshaal is married to two women: Sheikha Nouria Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah and Maneira Badah
