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Egypt MILITARY HERITAGE
It was not until the period of the New Kingdom (1552-664 B.C.)
that standing military units were formed, including the appearance
of chariotry and the organization of infantry into companies of
about 250 men. Egyptian armies then became militarily involved in
the Near East, contending for Syria and Palestine. By the later
periods beginning in the seventh century B.C., foreign mercenaries
formed the core of Egyptian military power. From the time Greek
rule was established in 332 B.C. until 1952 A.D., the country was
subject to foreign domination. Under the successive control of
Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Turkish, French, and British forces,
the Egyptians remained disdainful of the military. In 1951 a
prominent Egyptian author described military service as "an object
of ridicule, a laughingstock which is to be avoided whenever
possible." He added that the military was "left for the poor and
uneducated" and called it "a derisory profession commanding
contempt rather than honor or pride."
Under Muhammad Ali, the Albanian soldier who governed Egypt
during the first half of the nineteenth century, a conscripted
Egyptian army pursued campaigns on behalf of the Ottoman sultan in
the Arabian Peninsula, Sudan, and Greece. In a disagreement over
the control of Syria, his army, consisting of more than 250,000
Egyptians, advanced nearly to Constantinople (formerly Byzantium;
present-day Istarbal) before the European powers pressured him into
withdrawing
(see Muhammad Ali, 1805-48
, ch. 1). After the deaths of
Muhammad Ali and his son, Ibrahim, Egypt's military strength
declined, and the country slipped increasingly under European
control. In 1879 a nationalist revolt erupted over proposed
restrictions to prevent Egyptians from entering the officer corps.
Ahmad Urabi, an Egyptian colonel, led the countrywide uprising
which was suppressed after British troops crushed the Egyptians in
1882.
The British began their era of domination in Egypt and assumed
responsibility for defending the country and the Suez Canal, which
were of particular interest to the British Empire. The British
disbanded the Egyptian army, and recreated it by incorporating
Egyptian units staffed by British officers into British commands.
British regiments remained to defend the canal. To mobilize
personnel for the Egyptian units, the British resorted to irregular
conscription among the fellahin (peasants), who went to great
lengths to avoid military service. Potential conscripts, however,
could make a cash payment in lieu of service. This practice
resulted in units that were staffed mostly by the poorest members
of society. Egyptians who became officers were almost always from
wealthy and distinguished families.
Egyptian nationalism intensified after World War I, and with
certain reservations, Britain granted Egypt independence in 1922.
Britain transferred command over the armed forces to Egyptians but
retained a British inspector general at the top. The Anglo-Egyptian
Treaty of 1936, however, eliminated this vestige of British
control. Egypt then expanded the army, making enrollment in the
Military Academy and a subsequent army career much more attainable
and desirable for young middle-class Egyptians.
Data as of December 1990
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