Egyptian arms procurement in the post-1973 war era : a case study in the dynamics of the arms diversification process.

Abstract

This thesis explores the post-1973 Middle East War arms procurement policy of Egypt. In embarking upon a policy of arms diversification shortly after that conflict, Egypt is seeking to end a 20 year period of exclusive reliance on the Soviet Union as a source of military hardware and training. Egypt is a unique case because she will face not only the wide array of problems common to any nation seeking to change the hardware and training base of its military forces from one source to another, but an additional set of problems stemming from the fact that she is one of the principal Arab confrontation states in the Middle East. This thesis addresses the decline in Soviet/Egyptian relations wliich led to the new arms procurement policy, the evolving status of Egypt's military capability, and the technical problems to be overcome in acquiring Western hardware and integrating that hardware into the Egyptian force structure. It finally addresses the political issues which will complicate the process of arms diversification. It concludes that in the absence of significant pressure for a new war in the Middle East, it will be possible for Egypt to rebuild its armed forces using Western equipment, at the exclusion of the Soviet Union.