Mohamed Zahir

Who is Mohamed Zahir?

Major General Mohamed Zahir is a former Chief of Defence Force of the Maldives National Defence Force of the Republic of Maldives. He also served as the National Security Advisor under the President HE Mohamed Nasheed.

After completion of secondary education in 1972, Zahir joined the civil service and worked in various government departments before enlisting in the Maldives National Defence Force in 1978 to the rank of Sergeant and was commissioned as an officer two years later.

He assumed command as Chief of Staff of MNDF, formerly known as the National Security Service, on November 11, 1996 as a Brigadier. He was promoted to the rank of Major General on April 21, 2004. He was also the chairman of the MNDF Advisory Council, the highest forum of senior serving officers. Zahir is also known to many Maldivians by the nickname "two two Zahir". He held the post of CDF until 18 November 2008.

Zahir is a graduate of Hendon Police College, London, UK and the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, United States. He also attended John F. Kennedy School of Government, USA, in a program for Senior Executives in National and International Security.

During his past years of service, he has undertaken various command positions within different units of the MNDF. Before assuming the duties as the Chief of Staff of MNDF, he was also the Deputy Chief of Staff of MNDF. During this tenure, he played an integral role in conceptualizing and doctrinally developing the operational functioning of all the arms and services of the MNDF. He has also commanded the NSS Training Unit, now re-established as Defence Institute for Training and Education, whereby laying the groundwork for restructure and streamlining overall training policies. Zahir's dedicated effort in the development of the military has been highly appreciated by all ranks of Maldives National Defence Force.