King Mohammed appoints Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan to key military position

King Mohammed VI appointed Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan to a key military position.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI (62), who serves as Morocco’s Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), has appointed Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan (22) as Coordinator of the Offices and Services of the General Staff of the FAR ahead of his twenty-third birthday this week. The King’s eldest child, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, previously only performed ceremonial duties.

The new key role within the Armed Forces will see the Crown Prince involved in day-to-day administrative operations, including monitoring regional threats. The future King will now gain access to military intelligence and briefings as they are submitted to the King. The central role within the military command structure serves as a link between the Kingdom’s various military branches, including logistics, strategic operations, medical units, and intelligence services.

This elevation is a significant move for the Crown Prince, who has been taking on more responsibilities, engagements, and duties on behalf of the King, who has had various health struggles. This trusted position reaffirms the tradition of preparing the heir for high-level military and strategic readiness.

As Article 53 of the Moroccan Constitution states, “The King is the Supreme Head of the Royal Armed Forces. He appoints to the military offices and can delegate this right.” Although the role of Coordinator of the Offices and Services is highly administrative, it is one which King Mohammed VI held himself, as Crown Prince, since 1985.

A political observer noted, via the Diplomatic News Network, that, “This appointment signals a gradual institutional preparation for future leadership responsibilities, while preserving the centralised command structure of the Armed Forces.”

A statement from the Royal Office of Morocco said in full,

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, has ensured, while Crown Prince, the coordination of the Offices and Services of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces since 1985, following His appointment to this role by His August Father, the late His Majesty King Hassan II, may God have his soul in His holy mercy.

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, has today appointed His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan as Coordinator of the Offices and Services of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

In fulfilling their national duty and their humanitarian and social missions, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, may God preserve Him, the Royal Armed Forces are guided by a set of lofty values, notably competence and discipline, integrity and commitment, sincere patriotism, and a strong sense of responsibility, which permeate their various components, while remaining constantly devoted and faithful to their eternal motto: God, the Homeland, the King.