Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (4th L), the head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and chief of staff of the Egyptian armed forces Sami Anan sit with assistants at a meeting in Cairo on November 22, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has formed a National Defence Council, as announced on Thursday, 14 June, in the official state gazette, which publishes any new constitutional or legislative documents when they are issued.
The formation of the council was not publicised by the SCAF.
The SCAF, however, has yet to provide a description of the tasks that are or shall be assigned to the newly-constructed body, which does not have a precedent in recent Egyptian political history.
The announcement of the National Defence Council came two days before the SCAF abruptly introduced an addendum to the military-authored March 2011 Constitutional Declaration, which, critics say, gives the military council unfettered powers and diminishes the role of the new president.
The National Defence Council will include the following people:
The President (Head of the National Defence Council)
The Parliamentary Speaker
The Head of the Cabinet of Ministers
The Foreign Minister
The Defence Minister
The Military Production Minister
The Interior Minister
The Finance Minister
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
The Director of Egyptian General Intelligence
The Chief Naval Commander
The Air Force Commander
The Commander of Air Defence Forces
The Assistant Defence Minister
The Chief of the Operations Authority of the Armed Forces
The Chief of the Military Judiciary
The Director of Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance
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