The Egyptian Way of War: A Tradition of Excellence Confronts the 21st Century A Monograph by Major Ahmed Aly Egyptian Army School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas AY 03-04 Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MILITARY STUDIES MONOGRAPH APPROVAL AHMED ALY Title of Monograph: The Egyptian Way of War: A Tradition of Excellence Confronts the Challenges of the 21st Century Approved by: __________________________________ Monograph Director James J. Schneider, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Director, Kevin C.M. Benson, COL, AR School of Advanced Military Studies ___________________________________ Director, Robert F. Baumann, Ph.D. Graduate Degree Programs ii ABSTRACT THE EGYPTIAN WAY OF WAR: A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE CONFRONTS THE CHALLENGES OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY by major Ahmed Mohammed Aly, Egyptian Army, 93 pages. Over an astonishing history dating back more than seven thousand years, Egypt maintained an advanced and relevant military force. This experience gave guidance for developing ways of war that were decisive in assuring victory in some of the most significant campaigns of Middle Eastern history, from Pharaonic times to the Egyptian –Israeli conflict of 1973. This monograph provides an overview of that history, decisive campaigns, and the features of that military experience in former times that could be useful, in the opinion of the author, for the education of Egyptian military officers today and in the futures – as one element in continuing improvement in Egyptian military and operational art. Some of the key lessons learned from Pharaonic, Islamic, and modern Egyptian military history are: The need for speed and mobility. The importance of support structures -- both an industrial base for producing weaponry, and strong logistical supply system for campaigns. Attention to strategic and tactical planning to assure that the enemy is engaged at times, in places, and under conditions of one’s choosing The practice, following Clausewitz, of using war as “a continuation of politics by other means”. Conclusions and recommendations based on this analysis address how to apply learned lessons from Egyptian military history to current and future officer education. An advanced course, beyond the mid-career staff college, applying lessons from history to current doctrine, theories, and campaign planning, could provide a useful framework for using lessons learned from history for current and future military practice. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: The Ancient Egyptian Army .................................................................................... 5 The Grand Strategy of Ancient Egypt......................................................................................... 6 The Battle of Megiddo (1458 B.C.)........................................................................................... 10 The Battle of Kadesh................................................................................................................. 14 Analysis..................................................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 2: The Islamic Egyptian Army ................................................................................... 19 The Beginning of Islam............................................................................................................. 19 The Holy Qur’an on Holy Wars ................................................................................................ 20 Abu Bakr on The Rules of War................................................................................................. 21 The Islamic Way of War ........................................................................................................... 21 Background of the Battle of Hattin (1187)................................................................................ 23 Muslim Military Organization, and Equipment ........................................................................ 24 Muslim Strategy at Hattin ......................................................................................................... 25 Tactics of Muslim Forces at Hattin ........................................................................................... 26 The Muslims’ Plan .................................................................................................................... 29 The Battle of Hattin, “The Battle for Water and Morale” (1187) ............................................. 30 The Muslim Army’s Performance at Hattin.............................................................................. 31 CHAPTER 3: 1973 Arab – Israeli War: Continuation of Politics by Other Means ...................... 34 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 35 Strategic Settings....................................................................................................................... 36 Campaign Planning ................................................................................................................... 39 Operational Setting.................................................................................................................... 44 The Significant Role of the Egyptian Corps of Engineers ........................................................ 49 Valuable Lessons Learned......................................................................................................... 52 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 54 CHAPTER 4: Conclusion and Recommendations ........................................................................ 56 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 56 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................... 64 Designing the Future ............................................................................................................. 64 The Importance of History for Field Grade Officer Education System ................................ 66 The Importance of Military History in the U.S. Military Education..................................... 67 The Rebirth of Military History ............................................................................................ 71 Refocusing Military Education.............................................................................................. 71 The Graduates of the History-Focused System ..................................................................... 73 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 75 Map 1: The Egyptian Empire Under Thutmose III and Ramses II............................................ 76 Map 2: Thutmose III’s Approach to Megiddo........................................................................... 77 Map 3: Thutmose III’s Army Three Main Routes to Megiddo ................................................. 78 Map 4: Ramses II’s Approach to Kadesh.................................................................................. 79 Map 5: The Battle Of Kadesh (Maneuver 1)............................................................................. 80 Map 6: The Battle Of Kadesh (Maneuver 2)............................................................................. 81 Map 7: Hattin “Campaigns of 1187”......................................................................................... 82 Map 8: Saladin’s March to Hattin 1187 .................................................................................... 83 Map 9: The Battle of Hattin (night and Early Morning, 4 July 1187)....................................... 84 iv Map 10: The Battle of Hattin (Late Morning to Noon, 4 July 1187) ........................................ 85 Map 11: The Battle of Hattin (Afternoon, 4 July 1187)............................................................ 86 Map 12: UN 1947 Partition Plan For Palestine ......................................................................... 87 Map 13: Situation Before The 1967 Six Days War................................................................... 88 Map 14: Situation After The 1967 Six Days War ..................................................................... 89 Map 15: The 1973 October War, Sinai Campaign (The Egyptian Crossing and Securing the Operational Objectives)............................................................................................................. 90 BIBILIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................................................