Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Assistant Minister of Defense Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Ayesh passed away Friday after suffering from an illness, the Ministry of Defense announced in a statement.

Al-Ayesh held many positions, namely: “Pilot officer, director of administration, commander of a base, chief of staff, deputy commander of the air force, commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force, and finally Assistant Minister of Defense with the rank of minister since 2014.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics, a master’s in military sciences, and has undergone courses as “flight instructor, transformational course, and fellowship program”.

Al-Ayesh received a number of decorations, medals and sashes, namely: the King Abdulaziz Medal of the Excellent Class, the King Faisal Medal of the Fourth Class, the Order of the Liberation of Kuwait, the Order of National Merit from France, the Bronze Star and National Merit Medals from the United States, and the Falcon Aviation Medals of the First Class (1,000 teaching hours on an F-15 aircraft) and the second class (1,000 teaching hours on a Lightning plane), in addition to the medals for "The Grand Mosque, Kuwait Liberation, and First Class Military Appreciation."