General

The Egyptian military is one of the largest military powers on the African continent, and the second strongest in the Middle East after Israel. The Egyptian Armed forces have also had more battle-field experience than most armies in the region, with a combined troop strength of around 450,000 active personnel. The Egyptian military has recently undergone massive military modernization mostly in their Air Force. Egypt is currently the only Arab and African country with a Spy satellite, EgyptSat 1.

The Egyptian government recently requested a batch of advanced F-15 fighters from the United States equipped with "smart" bombs to expand its Air Defense capability. Israel is trying to block the sale of the F-15 fighters because of concern that this would completely close the gap between the Egyptian and Israeli Air Forces. According to the Israeli chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuval Steinitz, the Egyptian Air Force has roughly the same number of modern warplanes as the Israeli Air Force and far more Western tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft batteries and warships than the IDF.

Egypt continues to contribute regularly to United Nations peacekeeping missions, most recently in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Conscription is compulsory for Egyptian men of 18 years of age who are not the only male child. Full-time students may defer their service until the age of 28. The length of the service depends on the level and kind of education achieved by the conscript and needs of the army at the time of conscription.

An Overview

Military branches :
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military manpower - military age and obligation :
18 years of age for conscript military service; 3-year service obligation (2001)

Military manpower - availability :
males age 18-49: 18,347,560 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service :
males age 18-49: 15,540,234 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually :
males: 802,920 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure :
$2.44 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP :
3.4% (2004)