bandar joined the royal saudi air force, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. his diplomatic career began in 1978 when he was appointed the king's personal envoy. he successfully lobbied the united states congress to approve the sale of f-15s to saudi arabia. in the oval office, president carter advise him to win the support of california governor ronald reagan. he did and in exchange helped carter win the support of south dakota democratic senator james abourezk for the panama canal treaty. fahd made bandar an emissary to carter and granted him permission to act independently of the saudi-u.s. ambassador.