How to Reform the Egyptian Armed Forces to Raise its Level to Better Serve Egypt

Published in May 6, 2017

Written by: Dr. Othman Ali

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

 How about reforming the Egyptian armed forces radically by changing the system of enrolment into military academies in Egypt to be confined to graduates of those who studied engineering, pharmacy, natural sciences, and IT? Before anyone would accuse me of applying discrimination or being prejudiced against those who did not study thee fields and wish to serve their country, let me assert here the fact that the field of competition worldwide are in these fields we mention especially in applied sciences and IT, and also within buying and developing military weapons, and some countries vie for such advanced technology and reached unprecedented levels, while Arab countries are still lagging behind and feel sorry for backwardness and obscurantism on all levels. Could we, Arabs, change ourselves by adopting sound scientific reasoning to reform ourselves on all levels instead of invoking God's wrath, with clergy in mosques, to smite the enemies?! We must raise awareness of all Arab nations instead to exert efforts and real endeavors to plan for the future to catch up with advances first-world countries.

So, what is the solution?

Steps of the solution, in my own opinion is to depend on ourselves to defend our Egyptian land and nation; our military advancement lies in the fact that all experts in IT and other fields of science must be leaders of all Egyptian military sectors, especially those who develop and make military tools and weapons etc.            

How is this to be done?

1- All military academies with all their type (maritime, air force, etc.) must NOT accept high-school graduates; rather, they are to enroll graduates of the faculties of science, engineering, pharmacy, and IT, because advancement in technological military fields must be based on competent graduates with high IQ and eager to serve Egypt.

2- Meanwhile, all systems and curricula of military academies must be modernized to cope with the new type of students so that they can be trained to develop weapons and ammunitions, etc. and all military equipment, and they are to be promoted as per their competence and what they have offered in terms of advancement.   

3- As for the rest of fields, i.e., graduates who studies medicine, agriculture, letters, translation, trade and business management, laws, etc. they are not less worthy; but they are to be trained to perform civil and civic duties of the Egyptian armed forces such as paper work, PR, translation, media, hospitals, provisions sector, financial sector, martial courts, etc. As for the military factories and all ranks of military men, they are to be graduates who have degrees in engineering, pharmacy, natural sciences, and IT.  

4- As for low-rank soldiers; recruitment into military service must never be obligatory, but out of choice of those who wish to apply for it like jobs with five-year contract that might be renewed upon agreement of all parties involved, with high salaries, higher or like salaries if those who work in private companies or oil companies. These soldiers must be among university graduates and/or graduates from higher institutes, and when they leave the military service, these years must be included in pensions, insurance, and years of experience when they apply for other civil jobs later on.   

5- Our fellow citizens who are not educated can work in agricultural fields and never serve in the military or at the police at all.

6- I can happily imagine that when all such reforms are applied, brilliant knowledgeable Egyptians will deal with the most advanced scientific and IT tools, researches, and discoveries to develop them to serve their country with love and respect, NOT via forced labor as we hear now, but within teamwork of well-paid and respected nationalistic personnel of those graduates whose abilities are tested and given work as per their abilities and who love their country and aim to defend it and to defend the nation at all cost, with open budgets provided away from corrupt generals who steal money of the military budgets. This spirit will make the Egyptian armed forces the most powerful one in the Arab and Middle-East regions, and this will create a real renaissance all over Egypt on all levels, without depending on the East or the West, thus deterring all enemies before they even think of harming Egypt by any steps.     

7- It's high time that leaders of my beloved Egypt must be among experts in all fields while leaving no more room for servile obsequious ignoramuses.

8- I have had enough of ignoramuses of leaders who never produce one whole sentence in Arabic, as if they were like Arab slap-stick comedians that cause the whole world to ridicule Egypt.

9- I would like to see military leaders who are like prominent scientists similar to Newton, Einstein, and the late Egyptian (assassinated) scientist Mustapha Musharrafa: this is what my beloved Egypt deserves, though its scientists and scholars are marginalized despite of themselves and of its nation!  

10- We declare before the Almighty Lord, as my Witness, that I only seek to convey the truth to all readers.