WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department expects to maintain a close working relationship with members of the military class in Cairo, a spokesman said.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi replaced Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as defense minister with the former head of military intelligence, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.
Tantawi served as the head of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, which held political control over Egypt since the 2011 revolution until Morsi's election in June. The SCAF leader served as defense minister since the 1990s.
George Little, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department, said reshuffling was expected now that Egypt had a civilian president.
"We had expected President Morsi to coordinate changes in the military leadership," he said during his regular press briefing. "The United States and the Department of Defense, in particular, look forward to continuing a very close relationship with the SCAF."
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta met in Cairo with Egyptian officials in early August. He said he hasn't met the new defense minister, however.
Little said that, as someone who comes from within SCAF, the Pentagon believes it can maintain a strong partnership with the new Egyptian defense team.
The defense appointments in Egypt came amid concerns about security in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian news service al-Ahram reports 14 militants were sentenced to death for attacks in the region last year. More than a dozen Egyptian border guards were killed by Islamic militants in the area last week.
