Samir Farag: From Battlefields to the Forefront of Egypt’s Cultural and Political Scene
From the steadfast city of Port Said emerged one of the most prominent military leaders and strategic thinkers in modern Egypt. He is Major General Dr. Samir Farag, a rare example of a commander, intellectual, and public official who combined military rigor with the brilliance of thought and culture.
Farag was born on January 14 and began his journey by graduating from the Military Academy in 1963. He joined the infantry and advanced through leadership positions until he became Director of the Morale Affairs Department of the Egyptian Armed Forces, a position he held for seven consecutive years. In 1973, he graduated with distinction from the Command and Staff College, which qualified him for a rare scholarship to the Royal College of Defence Studies in Britain, one of the most prestigious military institutions in the world, where he ranked first in his class.
Since he was always ahead of his peers, he was appointed as the first non-British officer to teach at the college, representing both NATO and the Commonwealth. He then returned to Egypt and continued to rise through the leadership ranks, moving between the Infantry Institute, the Operations Authority, and Military Intelligence.
However, Major General Farag’s role was not limited to military service. In civilian life, he held crucial positions, including Governor of Luxor from 2004 to 2011, where he led a major cultural and tourism renaissance. He also served as Director of the Cairo Opera House and First Undersecretary at the Ministry of Tourism. Since 2011, he has been Chairman of the Board of NATENERGY, a holding company for energy and gas.
Alongside these positions, Farag is considered one of Egypt’s leading strategic minds and is an active member of prominent research centers such as the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He has a diverse intellectual portfolio and has published seven books, including “Pages from My Life,” “Witness to the October War,” and “Strategy and National Security: Two Sides of the Same Coin.”
His words continue to echo weekly in regular newspaper columns in Al-Ahram on Thursdays and in Akhbar El Yom and Al-Masry Al-Youm on Saturdays. He also writes for Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya, Asharq Al-Awsat, and Al-Hayat (London), contributing his precise analyses to enhance understanding of both regional and international affairs.
Major General Dr. Samir Farag is not merely a distinguished professional figure. He is a living example of the Egyptian individual’s ability to combine strength with intellect, discipline with imagination, and the weapon with the pen.
