hiː ðˈɛn sˈɜːvd səksˈɛsɪvli æz mˈɪlətˌɛɹi ɐsˈɪstənt tə ðə mˈɪnɪstɚɹ ʌv dᵻfˈɛns ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt, ɐn ˈɑːɹmɚd dᵻvˈɪʒən kəmˈændɚɹ ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd, ænd hˈɛd ʌvðɪ ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃənz dᵻɹˈɛktɚɹˌeɪt ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd wˈʌn.
He then served successively as Military Assistant to the Minister of Defense in 1998, an Armored Division commander in 2000, and head of the Operations Directorate in 2001.