Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala

Mohammad Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala
Minister of Defence of Egypt
In office 1982–1989
President	Hosni Mubarak
Prime Minister	Ahmad Fuad Mohieddin Kamal Hassan Ali Ali Mahmoud Lutfi Atef Sedki
Preceded by	Ahmed Badawi
Succeeded by	Youssef Sabri Abu Taleb
Personal details
Born	15 january 1930 Beheira, Egypt
Died	6 September 2008 (aged 78) El-Galla Military Hospital, Egypt
Political party	Independent
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Egypt
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1949–1989
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Battles/wars	Suez Crisis Six-Day War Yom Kippur War

Field Marshal Mohamed Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala (محمد عبد الحليم أبو غزاله) (2008-1930) was Defense Minister of Egypt from 1981 to 1989, when former Egyptian president Mubarak removed him from office due to claims that he was involved in a missile-parts illegal import scandal from the United States, by violating U.S. export laws.^[1] The USA did not allow exporting certain materials used for making missile heads to the Egyptian military. So the Egyptian intelligence under Abu Ghazala's commands managed to import those materials indirectly though Germany in a highly complicated undercover intelligence mission, until the FBI found out about the mission and issued arrest warrants for the involved Egyptian Intelligence officers and an involved Egyptian missile scientist.

Early life

He was born in Zuhur Al Omara Village, Dilingat, Behera governorate. His family descended from "Awlad Aly" tribe. After completing his secondary education, he joined the Egyptian Royal Military Academy, then he received the battalion command diploma from Stalin Academy in the Soviet Union in 1949. He also graduated from Nasser Academy for higher military education (Cairo 1961). On the civilian studies side, he received a bachelor's degree from the faculty of commerce, Cairo University. Abu Ghazala received the diploma of honor from the war college in the U.S.A., thus being the first non-American to receive such an award.^[2]

Career

Abu Ghazala was a member of the Free Officers that overthrew the Egyptian and Sudanese monarchy in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.

Field Marshal Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala was the artillery commander in chief during October War of 1973. When Minister of Defense and Military Production, Ahmad Badawi, died along with 12 senior officers in a helicopter crash on March 2, 1981. Anwar El-Sadat replaced him by Egypt's Chief of Staff, General Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala.^[3]

Abu Ghazala participated in the following wars :
1- Palestine War of 1948-1949 (whilst being cadet)
2- Tripartite Aggression of 1956
3- October War of 1973

He did not participate in the Six Day War of 1967 as he was serving in the Western Desert.

Project T and Removal

The project T is part of the tri-national program with Argentina, and Iraq to develop a two-stage solid and liquid propellant missile with a range of 900 km. This program was referred to in Argentina as the Condor 2, and in Iraq as the Badr 2000.

The Project T missile is a Scud-B variant, whose payload was probably reduced in order to extend its range.^[4] On the 15th of April 1989, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak removed and replaced Ghazala amid allegations that he was involved in an alleged scheme to transfer restricted missile technology from the United States^[5] to assist the R&D for Project T.Although the United States Justice Department has said it was investigating whether General Abu Ghazala was involved, he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.^[1] Ghazala was appointed as a consultant for the President. Egypt is believed to have terminated the program. ^[6]

Throughout his tenure as Minister of Defense, Ghazala was widely perceived as the second-most powerful man in Egypt, and a potential rival for power to Hosni Mubarak. His removal from office, and subsequent disappearance from public life, were seen as politically motivated.

2005 Elections

In 2005, he was briefly rumored to be a presidential candidate for the powerful but illegal Muslim Brotherhood.^[7] He finally did not run, and the Muslim Brothers did not field a candidate in the first contested Egyptian presidential election 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood offered him to run as their presidential candidate, but he refused due to their different ideological backgrounds. Also, he knew that Mubarak was going to win the elections anyway by forgery.

Death

Abu Ghazala died on Saturday evening, Sept. 6, 2008 at El-Galla Military Hospital in Cairo at the age of 78 after a battle with throat cancer.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Stevenson, R., Egyptian Minister Named in Missile Parts Scandal, New York Times, Oct. 25, 1988. URL: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D8113AF936A15753C1A96E948260
2. ^ http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0186B7F8-FA1D-4F79-8D86-EEC2D489E2ED.htm
3. ^ Time, Mar. 16, 1981, [1]
4. ^ Jane's Defence Weekly, and AMI International's "Missile System of the World"
5. ^ http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/Egypt/Missile/chronology_1989-1990.html
6. ^ Patrick E. Tyler, "Mubarak reassigns key depute; move said face-off with defense chief," Washington Post, 16 April 1989; in Lexis-Nexis, <http://www.lexis-nexis.com>
7. ^ Namatalla, A., Newsreel, Egypt Today, August 2005. URL:http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5610

Persondata
Name	Abu Ghazala, Abd Al-Halim
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1930
Place of birth	Beheira Governorate, Egypt
Date of death	2008
Place of death	El-Galla Military Hospital, Egypt