[h=3]Associated Press[/h]CAIRO—Egypt's military signaled its acquiescence Monday to the president's surprise decision to retire two top military officials from their posts and retake powers that the nation's generals grabbed from his office.
President Mohammed Morsi's shake-up of the military on Sunday took the nation by surprise. It transformed his image overnight from a weak leader to a savvy politician who carefully timed his move against the military brass who stripped him of significant powers days before he took office on June 30.
Egypt's state-controlled news agency quoted an unnamed military official late Sunday as saying there has been no "negative reaction" from within the military. And a day after the orders, no unusual military movements were detected anywhere across the nation.
The United States, which provides Egypt with some $1.5 billion in annual aid, said it was unperturbed by the changes.
"We had expected President Morsi at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership to name a new team," U.S. Defense Department press secretary George Little said in Washington. "The United States and the Department of Defense in particular look forward to continuing the very close relationship with the SCAF (the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces)."
After militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers a week ago at a border post with Israel in Sinai, Mr. Morsi has sought more aggressively to assert his authority over the top generals. With his latest move, Mr. Morsi reclaimed the powers taken from him, seizing back sole control of the constitution drafting process, the national budget and the right to issue laws.
The announcement has raised fears that the U.S.-educated Islamist leader may have accumulated too much power in his hands and those of the Muslim Brotherhood, his fundamentalist group.
"With (the) military stripped of legislative authority and in (the) absence of parliament, (the) president holds imperial powers," Egypt's top reform leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account on Monday.
Some analysts have floated the possibility that the shake-up of the military brass was part of a "safe exit" deal struck between Mr. Morsi and the generals to shield them against prosecution for alleged crimes during the time they ruled the country. They cite the appointment of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the outgoing defense minister, and Gen. Sami Annan, the chief of staff, as presidential advisers as evidence to support their theory.
If Morsi's decisions go unchallenged, it should end the power struggle that pitted him against Egypt's most powerful institution. But removing the defense minister and chief of staff doesn't necessarily mean that the military has been defeated or that it would give up decades of perks and prestige without a fight.
The two men appointed to replace the top military commanders were also members of the SCAF—something that could indicate either the military's agreement to the shuffle or splits at the highest level of the armed forces. Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi replaced Mr. Tantawi and Lt. Gen. Sidki Sayed Ahmed replaced Mr. Annan.
Mr. Morsi may have tapped into divisions and the generation gap within the top echelons of the military. Mr. Tantawi is 76 and he was in that job for more than 20 years. His replacement, former military intelligence Mr. El-Sissi, is 58.
The military has a vast economic empire that accounts for about 25% of the country's economy. But it was tainted in the 17 months the SCAF ran the country, accused of mismanaging the transitional period and committing human rights violations.
President Mohammed Morsi's shake-up of the military on Sunday took the nation by surprise. It transformed his image overnight from a weak leader to a savvy politician who carefully timed his move against the military brass who stripped him of significant powers days before he took office on June 30.
Egypt's state-controlled news agency quoted an unnamed military official late Sunday as saying there has been no "negative reaction" from within the military. And a day after the orders, no unusual military movements were detected anywhere across the nation.
The United States, which provides Egypt with some $1.5 billion in annual aid, said it was unperturbed by the changes.
"We had expected President Morsi at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership to name a new team," U.S. Defense Department press secretary George Little said in Washington. "The United States and the Department of Defense in particular look forward to continuing the very close relationship with the SCAF (the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces)."
After militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers a week ago at a border post with Israel in Sinai, Mr. Morsi has sought more aggressively to assert his authority over the top generals. With his latest move, Mr. Morsi reclaimed the powers taken from him, seizing back sole control of the constitution drafting process, the national budget and the right to issue laws.
The announcement has raised fears that the U.S.-educated Islamist leader may have accumulated too much power in his hands and those of the Muslim Brotherhood, his fundamentalist group.
"With (the) military stripped of legislative authority and in (the) absence of parliament, (the) president holds imperial powers," Egypt's top reform leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account on Monday.
Some analysts have floated the possibility that the shake-up of the military brass was part of a "safe exit" deal struck between Mr. Morsi and the generals to shield them against prosecution for alleged crimes during the time they ruled the country. They cite the appointment of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the outgoing defense minister, and Gen. Sami Annan, the chief of staff, as presidential advisers as evidence to support their theory.
If Morsi's decisions go unchallenged, it should end the power struggle that pitted him against Egypt's most powerful institution. But removing the defense minister and chief of staff doesn't necessarily mean that the military has been defeated or that it would give up decades of perks and prestige without a fight.
The two men appointed to replace the top military commanders were also members of the SCAF—something that could indicate either the military's agreement to the shuffle or splits at the highest level of the armed forces. Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi replaced Mr. Tantawi and Lt. Gen. Sidki Sayed Ahmed replaced Mr. Annan.
Mr. Morsi may have tapped into divisions and the generation gap within the top echelons of the military. Mr. Tantawi is 76 and he was in that job for more than 20 years. His replacement, former military intelligence Mr. El-Sissi, is 58.
The military has a vast economic empire that accounts for about 25% of the country's economy. But it was tainted in the 17 months the SCAF ran the country, accused of mismanaging the transitional period and committing human rights violations.