Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
Mohamed Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala (محمد عبد الحليم أبو غزاله) (2008-1930) was Defense Minister of Egypt
from 1981 to 1989, when former Egyptian president Mubarak removed him from office due to claims that he was involved in a missile-parts illegal import scandal from the United States
, by violating U.S. export laws. The USA did not allow exporting certain materials used for making missile heads to the Egyptian military. So the Egyptian intelligence under Abu Ghazala's commands managed to import those materials indirectly though Germany in a highly complicated undercover intelligence mission, until the FBI found out about the mission and issued arrest warrants for the involved Egyptian Intelligence officers and an involved Egyptian missile scientist.
in 1949. He also graduated from Nasser Academy for higher military education (Cairo 1961). On the civilian studies side, he received a bachelor's degree from the faculty of commerce, Cairo University. Abu Ghazala received the diploma of honor from the war college in the U.S.A., thus being the first non-American to receive such an award.
in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.
Field Marshal
Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala was the artillery commander in chief during October War
of 1973. When Minister of Defense and Military Production, Ahmad Badawi, died along with 12 senior officers in a helicopter crash on March 2, 1981. Anwar El-Sadat replaced him by Egypt's Chief of Staff, General Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala.
Abu Ghazala participated in the following wars :
1- Palestine War
of 1948-1949 (whilst being cadet)
2- Tripartite Aggression
of 1956
3- October War
of 1973
He did not participate in the Six Day War of 1967 as he was serving in the Western Desert.
, and Iraq
to develop a two-stage solid and liquid propellant missile with a range of 900 km. This program was referred to in Argentina as the Condor 2, and in Iraq as the Badr 2000.
The Project T missile is a Scud-B variant, whose payload was probably reduced in order to extend its range.
On the 15th of April 1989, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
removed and replaced Ghazala amid allegations that he was involved in an alleged scheme to transfer restricted missile technology from the United States to assist the R&D for Project T.Although the United States Justice Department has said it was investigating whether General Abu Ghazala was involved, he has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Ghazala was appointed as a consultant for the President. Egypt is believed to have terminated the program.
Throughout his tenure as Minister of Defense, Ghazala was widely perceived as the second-most powerful man in Egypt, and a potential rival for power to Hosni Mubarak. His removal from office, and subsequent disappearance from public life, were seen as politically motivated.
. He finally did not run, and the Muslim Brothers did not field a candidate in the first contested Egyptian presidential election 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood offered him to run as their presidential candidate, but he refused due to their different ideological backgrounds. Also, he knew that Mubarak was going to win the elections anyway by forgery.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Mohamed Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala (محمد عبد الحليم أبو غزاله) (2008-1930) was Defense Minister of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from 1981 to 1989, when former Egyptian president Mubarak removed him from office due to claims that he was involved in a missile-parts illegal import scandal from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, by violating U.S. export laws. The USA did not allow exporting certain materials used for making missile heads to the Egyptian military. So the Egyptian intelligence under Abu Ghazala's commands managed to import those materials indirectly though Germany in a highly complicated undercover intelligence mission, until the FBI found out about the mission and issued arrest warrants for the involved Egyptian Intelligence officers and an involved Egyptian missile scientist.
Early life
He was born in Zuhur Al Omara Village, Dilingat, Behera governorate. His family descended from "Awlad Aly" tribe. After completing his secondary education, he joined the Egyptian Royal Military Academy, then he received the battalion command diploma from Stalin Academy in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1949. He also graduated from Nasser Academy for higher military education (Cairo 1961). On the civilian studies side, he received a bachelor's degree from the faculty of commerce, Cairo University. Abu Ghazala received the diploma of honor from the war college in the U.S.A., thus being the first non-American to receive such an award.
Career
Abu Ghazala was a member of the Free Officers that overthrew the Egyptian and Sudanese monarchyMuhammad Ali Dynasty
The Muhammad Ali Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, from the 19th to the mid-20th Century. It is named after its progenitor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, regarded as the founder of modern Egypt. It was also more formally known as the Alawiyya Dynasty...
in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala was the artillery commander in chief during October War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
of 1973. When Minister of Defense and Military Production, Ahmad Badawi, died along with 12 senior officers in a helicopter crash on March 2, 1981. Anwar El-Sadat replaced him by Egypt's Chief of Staff, General Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala.
Abu Ghazala participated in the following wars :
1- Palestine War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
of 1948-1949 (whilst being cadet)
2- Tripartite Aggression
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
of 1956
3- October War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
of 1973
He did not participate in the Six Day War of 1967 as he was serving in the Western Desert.
Project T and Removal
The project T is part of the tri-national program with ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to develop a two-stage solid and liquid propellant missile with a range of 900 km. This program was referred to in Argentina as the Condor 2, and in Iraq as the Badr 2000.
The Project T missile is a Scud-B variant, whose payload was probably reduced in order to extend its range.
On the 15th of April 1989, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
removed and replaced Ghazala amid allegations that he was involved in an alleged scheme to transfer restricted missile technology from the United States to assist the R&D for Project T.Although the United States Justice Department has said it was investigating whether General Abu Ghazala was involved, he has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Ghazala was appointed as a consultant for the President. Egypt is believed to have terminated the program.
Throughout his tenure as Minister of Defense, Ghazala was widely perceived as the second-most powerful man in Egypt, and a potential rival for power to Hosni Mubarak. His removal from office, and subsequent disappearance from public life, were seen as politically motivated.
2005 Elections
In 2005, he was briefly rumored to be a presidential candidate for the powerful but illegal Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
. He finally did not run, and the Muslim Brothers did not field a candidate in the first contested Egyptian presidential election 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood offered him to run as their presidential candidate, but he refused due to their different ideological backgrounds. Also, he knew that Mubarak was going to win the elections anyway by forgery.