Sedki Sobhy
Sedki Sobhy Sayyid Ahmad (  ) (born 12 December 1955) is an Egyptian politician and former General who was Minister of Defence of Egypt from 2014 until 2018. Sobhy previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from August 2012 to March 2014. He was sworn in as Minister of Defence in March 2014 after Abdul Fattah al-Sisi resigned so he could stand for the presidency. He also commanded the Third Army for a time. Connections with the United States. In 2004-5 Sedki Sobhy studied for a Master's Degree in Strategic Studies at the  US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. While there he wrote a paper recommending that the United States withdraw its military from the Middle East and concentrate instead on socio-economic aid for the region. The paper was posted on a US Department of Defense website, where it was noticed by analyst Issandr El Amrani. After the 2013 Egyptian coup, Sedki Sobhy spoke by telephone on 4 July 2013 with Martin Dempsey, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and had spoken twice with him by 8 July.