National Guard (Egypt)

The Egyptian National Guard was originally created to be Gamal Abdel Nasser's bodyguard and was known as the National Guard, being mainly a paramilitary force under the command of the Ministry of Defense. After separating the Republican Guard division from it, the National Guard remained a large paramilitary force and numbers about 60,000 personnel, mainly used for ceremonials and parades whose duties are to protect presidential sites and important public buildings in Cairo, providing Honor Guard and security services for the highest national personalities and important foreign guests; and responding to any rebellion, coup, or other threat to Presidential power. Members were (mainly but not exclusively) highly motivated volunteers rather than conscripts. They received bonuses, new cars and subsidized housing, and received greater training than the regular army.

The National Guard was disbanded before or after Nasser left office. It no longer exists.

References

See also

• Central Security Forces
• List of countries by number of active troops