Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz was named Saudi Arabia’s new defense minister, SPA news agency reported on Saturday.
The appointment of Prince Salman, 75, follows the death last month of his elder brother Crown Prince Sultan, who had held the position for over 40 years.
Prince Khaled bin Sultan was named as Deputy Defense Minister.
The decree also split the defense ministry from the aviation ministry and appointed Prince Khaled bin Sultan as Deputy Defense Minister.
Prince Salman is the son of the country’s founder King Abdul-Aziz and a half-brother of the reigning monarch Abdullah. Salman has served as governor of Riyadh since 1962. The new defense minister is the third most powerful man in the country after the monarch and crown prince.
