Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher is a prominent Egyptian military leader who currently serves as Director of the Egyptian Military Academy. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in January 2023. He previously served as Director of the Military College and is regarded as one of the leaders responsible for developing training systems and admissions at Egypt’s military colleges.

Salem Zaher focuses on updating curricula and developing trainees’ personalities within the academy during an intensive training period of approximately six months of full-time residence. He is also known for welcoming international military delegations, such as the Libyan Air Defense Chief of Staff, and for signing cooperation protocols with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to support scientific research among youth.

He is also a key figure in the Egyptian Ministry of Defense’s efforts to advance military training in the New Republic. His name has become associated in modern military memory with the concept of “qualitative development.” Since assuming leadership of the Egyptian Military Academy and its various branches—including the military colleges and the naval, air, and air defense academies—he has gone beyond the limits of traditional physical and tactical training, driving a comprehensive “scientific revolution” that integrates modern civilian sciences with established military curricula.

Thanks to this vision, the academy under his leadership has evolved into an institution that awards graduates dual degrees, combining a bachelor’s degree in critical fields such as economics, politics, engineering, information systems, and military sciences. This approach has produced a generation of officers equipped with the intellectual and scientific tools needed to understand the complexities of the contemporary world and manage modern warfare technologies.

The philosophy of Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher represents a fundamental pillar in understanding the nature of the tasks that await him. He firmly believes that “the possession of power is the only guarantee for imposing peace,” a vision he has reiterated on many national occasions, emphasizing that a strong state safeguards its stability through the knowledge of its people and the strength of its army.

His organizational efficiency was evident in his supervision of the inauguration and development of the new headquarters of the Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, designed to serve as a military educational beacon meeting global standards. He also played a key role in signing cooperation protocols with leading scientific institutions, such as Cairo University, to enhance the level of academic qualification within the armed forces.

The ministerial formation in Egypt was as follows: