Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud

Prince Bandar bin Sultan entered diplomacy through military aviation. Trained at Britain's Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, he became a Saudi fighter pilot and commander. He helped make the Saudi case in Washington for F-15 aircraft in 1978 and AWACS surveillance aircraft in 1981, then became defense attaché. His ambassadorship lasted from 1983 to 2005. ¹

Bandar developed working relationships across successive American administrations. His diplomacy supported cooperation against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, the campaign to expel Iraq from Kuwait, and later efforts against al-Qaeda. His embassy also cultivated Congress: during the Iran–Iraq war, he and his assistant Adel al-Jubeir helped arrange visits that exposed senators to the dangers facing Gulf shipping. This work accompanied the debate over placing Kuwaiti tankers under American protection. ^{4, 2}

His arms dealings also attracted sustained scrutiny. In 2007, the BBC and Guardian reported that payments connected with the British al-Yamamah arms agreement had reached accounts he controlled. Bandar denied receiving improper commissions; BAE Systems also denied wrongdoing. Britain had halted its investigation on national security grounds. In a separate American case, BAE pleaded guilty in 2010 to conspiracy involving false statements and export control violations and paid a $400 million fine; that corporate conviction was not a conviction of Bandar. ^{5, 6}

After leaving Washington, Bandar became secretary-general of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council and, in 2012, head of foreign intelligence. His daughter Reema later followed him as ambassador to the United States. ^{1, 3}