page_title: Abdel Hakim Amer
section_title: Military career
hierarchical_section_title: Abdel Hakim Amer / Military career
caption_attribution_description: English: Anwar Sadat (left), Gamal Abdel Nasser (center) and Abdel Hakim Amer (right) at Burj al-Arab
context_page_description: Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer was an Egyptian general and political leader.
context_section_description: Amer served in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, took part in the 1952 Revolution and commanded the Egyptian Army in the Suez Crisis, the North Yemen Civil War and the Six-Day War.
  Amer played a leading role in the military coup that overthrew King Farouk in 1952 and which brought General Muhammad Naguib and Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser to power. The following year, Amer was promoted straight from major to major-general, bypassing four military ranks, and made Egypt's Chief of the General Staff. In 1956, Amer was appointed commander-in-chief of the joint military command established by Egypt and Syria. He also led Egyptian forces against both Israeli and allied British-French forces during the 1956 Suez war. After the fighting ended, Amer accused Nasser of provoking an unnecessary war and then blaming the military for the result.
  As Nasser's representative in Syria, Amer was detained by rebels during the 1961 Syrian coup d'état and sent back to Cairo.
  In March 1964, Amer was made first vice-president to Nasser and deputy supreme commander, with the power to rule for 60 days if the president was incapacitated. Amer's distinguished career came to a sudden end after Egypt's crushing defeat by Israel in the Six-Day War of June 1967. Many historians, including Hazem Kandil, have stated that much of the responsibility for the Egyptian military's failure in the 1967 war can be laid at the feet of Amer. This is because Amer's control of the Egyptian military establishment followed in line with leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser's general policy of presenting different government institutions as fiefdoms to those most loyal to him. In addition, the proxy war Egypt (with Soviet backing) fought against the Saudis, West, and Israelis in the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970), Nasser supporting the Yemen Arab Republic against the Western and Saudi Arabian backed Royalists, is also viewed as being key to Egypt's defeat in the 1967 Middle East war; as nearly half of the Egypt's Western-trained officer-corps (mostly in Britain at Sandhurst) was in Yemen at the time of the initial Israeli attack on Egypt.
  When Amer heard of the fall of Abu Ageila to Israel, he panicked and ordered all units in the Sinai to retreat. This order effectively meant the defeat of Egypt. On 17 June 1967 shortly after the Six Day War ended, Amer was relieved of all his duties and forced into early retirement.
caption: Amer (right) with President Gamal Abdel Nasser (center) and Speaker of Parliament Anwar Sadat (left), 1965
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