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Section Eight: The Armed Forces and the Police Force
Subsection One: The Armed Forces
Article 200: Mandate
The armed forces belong to the people. Their duty is to protect the country, and
preserve its security and territories. The state is exclusively mandated to establish
armed forces. No individual, entity, organization or group is allowed to create
military or para-military structures, groups or organizations.
The armed forces have a Supreme Council as regulated by law.
• Designation of commander in chief
Article 201: Commander in Chief of the armed forces
The Minister of Defense is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, appointed
from among its officers.
Article 202: Public mobilization, administrative disputes
The law regulates public mobilization and defines the conditions of service,
promotion and retirement in the armed forces.
The judicial committees for officers and personnel of the armed forces are
exclusively competent for adjudicating in all administrative disputes pertaining to
decisions affecting them. The law regulates the rules and procedures for challenging
the decisions of these committees.
• Advisory bodies to the head of state
Subsection Two: The National Defense Council
Article 203: Composition, mandate
A National Defense Council is established, presided over by the President of the
Republic and including in its membership the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Interior, the Chief of the General Intelligence
Service, the Chief of Staff of the armed forces, the Commanders of the Navy, the Air
Forces and Air Defense, the Chief of Operations for the armed forces and the Head
of Military Intelligence.
The Council is responsible for looking into matters pertaining to the methods of
ensuring the safety and security of the country, for discussing the armed forces’
budget, which is incorporated as a single figure in the state budget. Its opinion must
be sought in relation to draft laws on the armed forces.
Its other competencies are defined by law.
• Legislative committees
When discussing the budget, the head of the financial affairs department of the
armed forces and the heads of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and the
National Security Committee at the House of Representatives shall be included
The President of the Republic may invite whoever is seen as having relevant
expertise to attend the Council’s meetings without having their votes counted.
Egypt 2014
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