ABSTRACT
Egyptian performance in Yemen illustrates the problems that challenge a regular army in a low intensity conflict, a topic that is increasingly relevant for armies in view of growing commitments in unconventional military situations. A regular army’s prolonged exposure to counterinsurgency operations, whether successful or unsuccessful, can negatively affect its ability to fight a conventional war. Field Marshal Abdul Hakim Amer, first vice president and commander in chief of the Egyptian armed forces, was ultimately responsible for military operations in Yemen. In spite of Egypt’s prior involvement by way of advisors in Yemen, the Egyptian army was unprepared for the intervention. Egypt’s revolutionary message calling for the overthrow of conservative Arab monarchies spread to North Yemen through Egyptian soldiers, teachers, doctors, and office workers who came there to work. The Egyptian army was never able to achieve anything more than a stalemate in North Yemen.
