CAIRO — Egypt's military signaled its acquiescence Monday to the president's surprise decision to retire the defense minister and chief of staff and retake powers that the nation's top generals grabbed from his office. President Mohamed Morsi's shakeup of the military Sunday took the nation by surprise. It transformed his image overnight from a weak leader to a savvy politician who carefully timed his move against the military brass who stripped him of significant powers days before he took office on June 30. A posting on a Facebook page known to be close to the country's military said the changes amounted to the “natural” handing over of leadership to a younger generation. “A greeting from the heart filled with love, appreciation and respect to our leaders who passed on the banner. They will be in our eyes and hearts,” said the posting. “The armed forces is a prestigious institution with a doctrine of full discipline and commitment to legitimacy.” Egypt's official news agency quoted an unnamed military official late Sunday as saying there has been no “negative reaction” from within the military. And a day after the orders, no unusual military movements were detected anywhere across the nation. The United States, Egypt's main foreign backer of 30 years, said it was unperturbed by the changes. Egypt receives some $1.5 billion in annual US aid. “We had expected President Morsi at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership to name a new team,” US Defense Department press secretary George Little said in Washington. “The United States and the Department of Defense in particular look forward to continuing the very close relationship with the SCAF (the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces).” Morsi's moves could heighten fears in Egypt and abroad that the US-educated Islamist leader may have accumulated too much power in his hands and those of the Muslim Brotherhood. “With (the) military stripped of legislative authority and in (the) absence of parliament, (the) president holds imperial powers,” Egypt's top reform leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account Monday. Some are anxious that Egypt is moving from an authoritarian state to an Islamic state. Others see what they describe as tell-tale signs of another authoritarian regime in the making. The Brotherhood-dominated upper house of parliament, which was not dissolved, last week replaced many of the editors of 50 state-owned publications with journalists known to be sympathetic to the group. Also last week, authorities shut down an independent television station whose owner and chief presenter, Tawfik Okasha, has gained popularity for his on-air rants against Morsi. Last week, he called for Morsi to be killed. On Monday, Egypt's top prosecutor referred Okasha along with the editor of an independent daily newspaper to a criminal court for trial on charges of incitement. — AP
