Sisi’s ‘Highest Combat Readiness’ Call: What Egypt’s SCAF Meeting Actually Said
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told Egypt’s top commanders on 5 October 2026 to maintain “the highest levels of combat readiness”, citing “unprecedented challenges and changes” in the region. Some headlines read that as an order putting the military on its highest alert. The official readout does not say that. It describes an anniversary meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) with a readiness message, a briefing on future conscription policy and a review of regional threats. It announces no change in alert level, no mobilisation and no deployment.
Photo: President el-Sisi with members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces at the Strategic Command Headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, 5 October 2026. Credit: Egyptian Presidency
What the official statement says
According to the Egyptian Presidency, Sisi chaired the SCAF meeting at the Strategic Command Headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. It was held as part of celebrations for the 53rd anniversary of the October 1973 war. Presidential spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said Sisi was received by Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production, and by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Khalifa.
The readout says Sisi “emphasized the importance of maintaining the highest levels of combat readiness”. The purpose given was to let the armed forces defend the homeland and protect its resources “in light of the unprecedented challenges and changes the region is witnessing”. The council also reviewed regional and international developments and their impact on Egypt’s national security. It stressed the military’s continued role in protecting the country’s borders, security and resources.
Two items in the readout go beyond ceremony. Zaher gave a speech on the armed forces’ recent missions. The Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Authority gave a presentation on “the future conscription policy”. No details of that policy were released, and the presidency did not say whether any change to military service is planned.
A call to maintain readiness, not a declared alert
Headlines such as Middle East Monitor’s “Sisi directs Egyptian military to maintain highest level of combat readiness” are close to the official wording. Reading them as a new alert order goes further than the text. The presidency used the verb “emphasized”, not “ordered”, and asked for readiness to be maintained, not raised. Egypt Today and Ahram Online carried the same wording. None of the official or state media accounts mentions troop movements, cancelled leave, a call-up of reservists or a change in readiness status.
The phrase still carries weight because of when it was used. Egypt has war in Sudan on its southern border and the Gaza conflict on its eastern one, while fighting in Ethiopia and attacks around the Red Sea have raised the stakes further afield. Sisi’s anniversary speech made clear where Cairo’s attention is.
What Sisi said in his anniversary speech
In remarks reported by Ahram Online, Sisi said: “Challenges remain, and the plots targeting Egypt’s stability have not stopped.” He added that “no one will be able to harm Egypt’s security, diminish the resources of its people or impose their will on this great nation”.
He also said the security of the Gulf Arab states is “an integral part of Egyptian national security”. He called for freedom of navigation in international waterways to be preserved, rejected any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and called for full implementation of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire plan.
The regional picture behind the message
Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front resumed on 23 September. Addis Ababa accuses Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing the rebel alliance, and all three deny it. On 4 October the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan met at El Alamein. As DefenceMENA reported, their joint text was a consultative declaration rather than a defence pact, and Ethiopia rejected what it called pressure over the Nile and the Red Sea. The latest on the ground is in our Mekelle and Tigray tracker.
The Gulf and the Red Sea. On the same day as the SCAF meeting, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to activate their mutual defence pact and deploy forces to the kingdom in response to Houthi attacks, as covered in our report on the Mecca Alliance activation. Egypt is not a member. Sisi’s line on Gulf security is consistent with an Egyptian fighter detachment that the UAE’s state news agency WAM reported as stationed in the Emirates in May 2026.
Sudan and Libya. The war in Sudan continues on Egypt’s southern border, and Cairo has held talks with Libya and Chad on reviving regional security cooperation, as covered in our report on CEN-SAD security talks.
What to watch
The concrete item to follow is the conscription policy presented to the council, and whether any change to the length or structure of national service is announced. Watch also for whether Egypt formally joins any regional defence arrangement, and for any official statement on deployments towards the south or east. For the forces behind the message, see DefenceMENA’s assessment of how strong Egypt’s military is in 2026 and our guide to the fighter jets Egypt operates.
Sources
- Egyptian Presidency — President El-Sisi Presides over SCAF Meeting (5 October 2026)
- Ahram Online — On October Victory anniversary, president El-Sisi warns challenges persist, backs Palestinian state (October 2026)
- Egypt Today — President Sisi chairs SCAF meeting, stresses importance of maintaining high combat readiness (6 October 2026)
- Middle East Monitor — Sisi directs Egyptian military to maintain highest level of combat readiness (6 October 2026)
- Emirates News Agency (WAM) — UAE and Egyptian Presidents discuss fraternal ties and regional developments (May 2026)
