RECONSTRUCTING A SHATTERED EGYPTIAN ARMY

W A R M I N I S T E R G E N . M O H A M E D F A W Z I S M E M O I R , 1 9 6 7 - 1 9 7 1

Edited by YOUSSEF ABOUL-ENEIN Engagement in international affairs requires knowledge and understanding of the Middle East, and this is gained only through reading and studying works of those nations. General Fawzis memoirs are an example of one such crucial Arabic work of military significance, as they expose Americas military leaders to Egypts historical military strategies, enabling the U.S. to use this historical knowledge to more efficiently partake in current international affairs and the formulation of U.S. national security policy. FREDERICK KEMPE, president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council

There is nothing more vital in the business of national security than cultivating a deep understanding of the region and the culture of an area of strategic interest to the United States. I applaud Commander Aboul-Enein for his long-term effort to introduce Americas military planners to Arabic works of military significance. Nothing beats understanding a country from the points of view of its people. War Minister General Fawzi offers not only a fresh way to look at the Arab-Israeli conflict, but also provides insights into the architecture of what would evolve into the 1973 Yom-Kippur War. JOSEPH J. COLLINS, professor of National Security Strategy, National War College, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations Studying the strategic thinking of military leaders is a critical dimension of intelligence analysis and if done thoroughly provides an advantage in policy formulation and planning. General Mohamed Fawzi (19152000) served as the Egyptian defense minister and led the rebuilding of the defeated Egyptian army after the Six-Day War of 1967. Until now his memoirs have never been made available in the English language, and his perspectives on the challenges of reconstituting the Egyptian armed forces provide deep insights into not only his thinking, but also the reasoning of the Egyptian General Staff, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and their Soviet advisers. VANCE SKARSTEDT, former dean of the College of Strategic Intelligence, National Intelligence University

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he memoirs of Gen. Mohamed Fawzi, Egyptian War Minister from 1967 to 1971, were first published in 1984, but his work has not been translated from Arabic and remains undiscovered

by most English speaking readers. Many in the U.S. armed services have yet to be introduced to his ideas, perspectives, and the tactical, operational and strategic seeds by which the 1973 Yom-Kippur War were sown. In this new contribution to his series of essays originally written for the U.S. Armys Infantry Journal, Aboul-Enein is determined to bring to life the military thoughts of this Arab war minister as part of his mission to introduce America's military leaders to Arabic works of military significance. Sun Tzu admonishes his readers to know their enemies, and Aboul-Enein (an American naval officer and established scholar whose personal and professional background gives him a unique vantage point) makes a significant contribution to that aim through this and his previous works. Fawzi is unique among Arab generals for his scathing critique of his own armed forces, and from his critical examination of what went wrong in 1967 he was able to bring the Egyptian armed forces back to a level that enabled Sadat to consider an offensive in 1973. Fawzi provides insights into the level of Soviet cooperation and military aid provided to Egypt after the 1967 Six-Day War, known simply in Arabic as al-Naksah (the setback), not to be confused with the 1948 Arab-Israeli War known as al-Nakbah (the catastrophe). Despite occasional lapses into conspiracy theories, wishful thinking, and the language of pan-Arabism, Fawzis work is an astute analysis of the lessons learned from Egypts crushing defeat in the Six-Day War. This book is a warning never to underestimate a defeated armys intellectual ability to innovate new tactics and strategies, leading to a resumption of conflict. YOUSSEF H. ABOUL-ENEIN is a U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps Commander, Middle East Foreign Area Officer, and author of Militant Islamist Ideology, Iraq in Turmoil and co-author of The Secret War for the Middle East. He teaches part-time at the National Defense University and National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C. RECONSTRUCTING A SHATTERED EGYPTIAN ARMY: War Minister Gen. Mohamed Fawzis Memoirs, 1967-1971 Edited by Youssef Aboul-Enein Publication date: 15 July 2014 256 pp., 1 photo, 4 maps. Hardcover list price: $64.95 45.95 ISBN: 978-1-61251-460-4 History Middle East eBook edition also available.

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