King Abdullah issued a royal decree that, based on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recommendation, Prince Khaled bin Bandar was being relieved of his duties as deputy defense minister.
The royal decree lacked the customary line that the personnel change was "upon his request," fueling speculation that there had been a power struggle between Prince Khaled and Prince Mohammed.
Prince Khaled had been in the position for only 45 days.
The deputy defense minister’s removal comes amid concern about spillover from the deteriorating security situation in neighboring Iraq. On June 26, the state-run SPA news agency reported that Saudi Arabia had gone on high alert.
