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Prince Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa (صاحب السمو الملكي الامير سلمان بن حمد ال خليفة) is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Bahrain (born 21 October 1969).

Prince Salman has two sons and two daughters.

• Shaikh Isa
• Shaikh Mohammed
• Shaikha Fatima - Al Dana
• Shaikha Al Joud

Prior to assuming the duties of Crown Prince, Prince Salman was Vice Chairman of Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) from 1992 to 1995, Undersecretary of Defence at the Ministry of Defence from 1995 to 1999, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the BCSR from 1995 to 1999.

Prince Salman was sworn in as Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain on March 9, 1999.

Prince Salman assumed the post of Commander-In-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force on March 22, 1999 till January 6 , 2008.

On February 24 2001, Prince Salman was appointed as Chairman of the Committee for Implementation of the National Charter. The Charter was approved by over 98% in a referendum held in February 2001 and provided a comprehensive blueprint for Bahrain’s future development based on transparency, cooperation and popular participation. The Committee proposed a number of laws to implement the National Charter including laws on government procurements and press freedom.

On March 3 2002, Prince Salman assumed the post of Chairman of the Economic Development Board, which is responsible for formulating and overseeing the Kingdom’s economic development strategy, and aims to attract Foreign Direct Investment to Bahrain. Prince Salman has played a major role in promoting national dialogue regarding economic reforms, and Labor Market reforms.

Prince Salman is also Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Committee and the Gas Committee.

On January 6, 2008, King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah issued Royal Orders elevating Prince Salman to the post of Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces to oversee the management and implementation of public policy as well as military, administrative, economic and financial plans of the Bahrain Defence Force and the National Guard.

The Crown Prince holds a PADI Advanced Diver Certification, is a devoted motor sport enthusiast, and enjoys skeet shooting, computers, sports cars, and motorcycles.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Prince Salman completed his high school education in Bahrain, and then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington D.C. in 1992; followed by a Master's degree in History and Philosophy from Cambridge University, England in 1994.^{[1][citation needed]} He has since participated in numerous seminars addressing Persian Gulf security issues and Middle East affairs.^{[citation needed]}

Additionally, Prince Salman has been a champion of education. He established the [Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme][1],[2], to guide Bahrain’s young people in to the 21st century. Under the programme, the most able high school students from Bahrain are awarded scholarships to continue their higher education overseas, and return to productively contribute to the building of the country’s economy. By allowing the country’s brightest pupils to benefit from foreign expertise and to broaden their experience abroad, it is hoped to prepare young Bahrainis for the challenges of the modern job market, and in particular for employment in fields such as information technology, finance and law.

He has also launched a separate leadership program for high school students, which aims to equip Bahrain’s talented and outstanding youth with the leadership skills required to compete in today’s competitive global community.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

Prince Salman has been awarded a number of Decorations and Orders. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in conjunction with the Order of the Eagle Exemplar by the United States[3] Sports Academy. The presentation was made by Dr. T. J. Rosandich, Vice President and COO of the Academy on 28 September 2003 in a ceremony held at the Court of the Crown Prince in Bahrain. Prince Salman has also been awarded the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa Decoration, the Ahmed Al Fateh Order, First Class, the Bahrain Order, First Class, the Hawar Order, First Class, the Kuwait Liberation Citation, the Nahdha Order, First Class, from the Kingdom of Jordan, and the Etihad Order from the United Arab Emirates

Sports enthusiast

Prince Salman is also Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, which oversees sports in the country as well as the extracurricular activities of Bahrain’s youth, which has embarked on a programme to upgrade the sporting facilities in the Kingdom.

The Crown Prince also spearheaded a major national initiative to bring Formula One racing to Bahrain and the Middle East. Prince Salman initiated the construction of the Bahrain International Circuit and on April 4 2004, the Bahrain Grand Prix became the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East.

References