Central Security Forces

Military of Egypt
Military manpower
Military age	18 years of age for conscript military service; 3-year service obligation (2001)
Availability	males age 18-49: 18,347,560 (2005)
Fit for military service	males age 18-49: 15,540,234 (2005)
Reaching military age annually	males: 802,920 (2005)
Active troops	450,000 (Ranked 11th)
Military expenditures
Dollar figure	$2.44 billion (2003)+ $1.3 billion of U.S military aid annually
Percent of GDP	3.4% (2004)

The 350,000 strong General Security and Central Security Forces (Arabic: قوات الأمن العام و الأمن المركزي‎ Quwwāt al-Amn al- Amm wa Quwwāt al-Amn al-Markazī, often shortened to الأمن المركزي Al-Amn al-Markazī) CSF organization is an Egyptian Paramilitary force which is responsible for assisting the Egyptian National Police (ENP) for the security of governmental fixed sites, foreign embassies & missions, riots & crowds control, publicly crowded events, high risk arrests, disaster response and SWAT operations.

History

In 1977, a decision was made to create the Central Security Forces from well trained and equipped police forces on large scale covering the whole country under the command of the Ministry of Interior (Egypt) to conduct special police operations in response to operational needs. The creation of those forces followed the Paramilitary model, and became close – in formation, training, equipping and functioning – to the French Gendarmerie and the Italian Carabinieri.

Following the 1973 Arab Israeli War between Egypt and Israel – then settling the 1973 & 1974 Ceasefire agreements; the 1979 Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty was signed and the subsequent Israeli withdrawal from the rest of Sinai Peninsula occurred. The Treaty stipulated the Egyptian government refrain from deploying regular Egyptian Armed Forces units in the eastern part of Sinai that directly border Israel (Zone “C”). The Egyptian government then tasked the Central Security Forces to take up the task. The CSF force deployed is effectively a motorized light infantry force without the heavy weapons and equipment.

The Egyptian government subsequently came to rely on the CSF to quench any source of instability within the country and to uphold the emergency laws imposed on Egypt since the 1981 assassination of the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat.

Paramilitary riot police of the Central Security Forces deployed during the 25 January 2011 protests.

In 1986, hundreds of third category, low ranking, CSF personnel (soldiers) staged a four day mutiny due to the spread of false rumors among its conscripts of extending their (three year) conscription time; the insurrection was suppressed by the Egyptian Army. They rampaged through the suburb of Giza burning some hotels and shops in tourist areas. They also burned dozens of cars and buses. Over 20,000 members were reportedly dismissed from service and the agitators received correctional punishment after being tried before Criminal Court for Arson, Violent Riots, and Insubordination according to Penal Code. Some reports related that mutiny to a conspiracy against the Minister of Interior in charge by then (Gen. Ahmed Roshdy) due to his policy. After the suppression the government promised to overhaul the force by raising its entry standards, increasing payment and bettering living conditions in their camps.

Rows of Egyptian Central Security Forces on the Day of Anger during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

Organization

The CSF is headed by a Director General, who is an Assistant Minister and is organized as follows:

• Main Headquarters (MHQ).
• Special Operations Command.
• (6) Specialized Training Institutes.
• (8) AOR Operational Regions – Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Central & Western Nile Delta, Eastern Nile Delta, Suez Canal & Sinai, Southern Upper Egypt, and Northern Upper Egypt.

Recruitment

The Central Security Forces personnel consists of three categories;

• Ranking Officers (graduated from Police College of (4) Academic years),
• Sub-officers (graduated from Police Institute of (2) Academic years), and
• Soldiers (of "6" months training) recruited entirely from the low educated conscripts, as the more educated and college graduates usually end up in the different branches of the regular military obligatory service.

References

• [1] Paramilitary forces at ORBAT.com
• Egyptian Armed Forces
• CSF at Egypt Country Study
• CIA World Factbook
• FAS
• GlobalSecurity