“For decades, people with Brotherhood connections were held over for promotions and never reached anywhere higher than that of junior officers,” a source said. “Now, Brotherhood-aligned soldiers are getting accepted into officers’ courses and the military academy.”
The sources said the Brotherhood made the greatest advance in the Army over the last year. They said many suspected Islamists in the Army during the era of President Hosni Mubarak were now flaunting their political affiliation.
The Army has confirmed the increasing presence of Brotherhood and Salafist activists. In March 2013, the commandant of the military academy, Maj. Gen. Ismat Murad, told a news conference that the latest graduating class contained those linked to the Brotherhood, including Morsi’s nephew.
“I will not reject a qualified student because his father is a member of the Brotherhood,” Murad said. “Not everybody who comes out of a Muslim Brotherhood home is destined to be a member of the Brotherhood, and the same applies to Salafists and liberals.”
The sources said the change in the military began in August 2012 when Morsi replaced much of the senior command. They said the appointment of Abdul Fatah Sisi marked the first time a Brotherhood sympathizer became defense minister in Egypt.
“The acceptance of recruits who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood in the Army is very dangerous and raises concerns,” Maj. Gen. Talat Muslim told the Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al Awsat.
The sources said the Navy has also been infiltrated by the Brotherhood. They said suspected Islamists rose high in the navy even during the Mubarak era, which ended with his ousting in 2011. During the 30-year regime, suspected Islamist police officers, many of whom now seek reinstatement, were also disciplined or dismissed from their jobs.
[Ret.] Gen. Sameh Seif Al Yazel said the army acknowledgement of the Brotherhood presence could signal a decision to allow Islamists to occupy senior positions in the military. Al Yazel, who served under Mubarak, said this would change the nation’s military, long seen as the most credible of Egypt’s institutions.
“It is well known that the Egyptian Army is a nationalist army, and its members should not have any political or partisan association,” Al Yazel said.
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