Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed attends specialised demonstrations by 22nd cohort of UAE National Service Programme at Sweihan Training Centre
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has attended specialised demonstrations presented by the 22nd cohort of the UAE National Service Programme for the 2024–2025 training year, held at Sweihan Training Centre in Abu Dhabi.The ceremonial event commenced with the UAE National Anthem, followed by a field drill featuring a series of tactical and combat demonstrations. The recruits showcased advanced operational skills acquired during their national service training, reflecting a high level of readiness, discipline and professionalism in executing military missions.His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his pride in the high level of skills and outstanding discipline demonstrated by the recruits, commending their strong sense of commitment and patriotism. His Highness affirmed that the young recruits represent a key pillar in safeguarding the nation's security and protecting its achievements.His Highness congratulated the graduates on their advanced field readiness and extensive military knowledge, wishing them continued success in fulfilling their national duty with dedication and integrity.His Highness underscored the pivotal role of the National and Reserve Service Programme, which has been instrumental, over the past 11 years, in fostering loyalty and a sense of belonging among Emirati youth. His Highness emphasised its vital contribution to safeguarding the nation's achievements and advancing the UAE's enduring progress under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.During the programme, recruits received both basic and specialised training covering theoretical and practical military sciences, in addition to physical fitness, combat skills, and military discipline. The comprehensive National Service training equipped the recruits with the highest levels of preparedness and operational readiness.At the beginning of the event, the Commander of Sweihan Training Centre delivered a speech emphasising that the military demonstrations reflected the highest levels of readiness and discipline, demonstrating the Emirati youth's ability to execute military tasks with unwavering determination and high morale.The Commander further underscored the vital role of national service in strengthening the operational readiness of the UAE Armed Forces and equipping young Emiratis with essential skills, while fostering a future-ready generation empowered by knowledge and resilience to uphold the nation's development and achievements.
The event was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court; His Excellency Lieutenant General Engineer Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces; His Excellency Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development; His Excellency Major General Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoon Al Muhairi, Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police; His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Office of the Crown Prince; and senior officers of the Ministry of Defence, as well as the recruits' families.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sharjah 24
13 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
Social Education offers national identity programme to children
Instilling National Values The initiative aimed to instil national values in children and familiarise them with Emirati customs and traditions through an engaging educational approach that combines learning with enjoyment .
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
‘Lest We Forget' initiative in Abu Dhabi: Telling the UAE story through people's core memories
4 Aug 2025 00:34 MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)Gathering heirloom jewellery, fading postcards, dusty photo albums, and personal narratives, a community-led initiative in Abu Dhabi is assembling a mosaic of lived experiences to tell the story of the We Forget is dedicated to archiving the vernacular cultural memory of the UAE, one voice at a time. Its roots are as personal and organic as the stories it preserves. It was an idea that originated from a class requirement: In 2012, a curatorial practices course at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi asked students to bring in family photographs. One of the students, a daughter of the late Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, showed an album titled 'Lest We Forget: Sheikh Sultan's Hunting Trip in Africa, 1974.' 'That's actually where we got the name,' Safiya Al Maskari, one of the initiative's founding members, told Aletihad . 'When she brought in her father's album, others were encouraged to bring their own. We realised we all had stories worth telling.'By 2014, the student-led project snowballed from a campus exhibition into an independent archival and research initiative backed by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. The team interviews individuals across the UAE to uncover stories on what daily life was like before the country's skyscrapers and mega malls. 'We connect the images or objects we archive to oral memories. That's what gives each item its weight,' Al Maskari said. 'We ask, 'Why is this photograph important to you? What does this garment represent in your life?'' Since its inception, Lest We Forget has produced six key publications, each delving into a specific aspect of Emirati life and memory. Family Portraits and Encounters with Sheikh Zayed One of its earliest works is 'Emirati Family Photographs' (1950–1999), a visual anthology of personal milestones - from studio portraits to birthday celebrations and first cars, all categorised by themes and enriched by personal title, 'Emirati Adornment,' documents both the tangible and intangible aspects of Emirati identity through photographs or illustrations that portray dress codes and types of adornment, such as henna and fragrance, as well as weapons and of Al Maskari's favourite archival projects — 'Sheikh Zayed: a Century of Memories' — captures personal encounters with the UAE's Founding Father.'For the Year of Zayed, we collected 100 stories from 100 individuals, who shared a memory of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, even if they didn't know him personally and saw him while they were walking with their family on the Corniche and he drove by and waved at them,' she said. 'This book is all about that. It's a very emotional publication. There are a lot of funny stories, heartfelt ones. You get to know Sheikh Zayed as an individual through other people's eyes. You see that he wasn't just any leader; to a lot of people, he felt like a father figure.'Other publications include 'Structures of Memory in the UAE,' a visual and narrative study of the architectural evolution of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah from 1914 to Abu Dhabi, produced in collaboration with NYU Abu Dhabi, features postcards from the founding years of the UAE, collected by Dr. Mohammed Al Mansouri, whose father once worked at the local post office. All these publications are available through Dukhan 421 store at 421, an independent platform dedicated to supporting emerging artists in the UAE and across the region. Capturing PerspectivesWhat distinguishes the initiative is its deep respect for personal narratives. 'We don't always fact-check every detail unless it's historically significant,' Al Maskari explained. 'Because what we're capturing is people's perspectives, their truth.'She believes that this mosaic of voices and memories is what builds the fuller story of the UAE. 'You ask 10 people about the same event, like the 22nd National Day and you'll get 10 different memories. One celebrated at the Corniche, another at home. Put them together, and you get a beautiful, multifaceted story.'Al Maskari hopes that Lest We Forget grows into a catalyst for community-driven preservation efforts. 'I want people to understand the importance of documenting and archiving,' she said. 'Sometimes all it takes is picking up your phone, sitting down with a grandparent, and asking them to tell you a story.'
Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Eritrea: Members of 38th Round of National Service Depart to Sawa
The second group of members of the 38th round of national service from the Central Region departed today for Sawa to continue their 12th-grade education. The students are from 22 high schools in the region, with female students comprising 56% of the participants. The students expressed their readiness to focus on their education during their stay in Sawa and to fulfill their national responsibilities through exemplary performance and conduct. It is to be recalled that the first group of students from the Central Region departed to Sawa on 30 July. Students from the Anseba, Gash Barka, Southern, and Northern and Southern Red Sea regions have already departed. According to the report, out of the 8,000 members of the 37th round of national service from the Central Region who sat for the national school-leaving examination, 33.5% qualified for degree and diploma programs. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
