When the
2011 Egyptian Revolution began in January 2011, Anan was in
Washington, D.C. "for a week of meetings with senior American officers". Cutting his visit short, he returned to
Egypt on 28 January. As the commander of an army of 468,000 troops, he was considered likely to play a crucial role in the political uncertainty surrounding the protests. On 1 February 2011, the UK's
Channel 4 News reported that the
United States was pressing for Anan to play a role in coordinating interim arrangements for government in
Egypt after
Hosni Mubarak. As the protests built momentum into their second week, there was considerable speculation whether Enan, on one hand, was "'too close to Mubarak to stay,' [per ...]
Gawdat Bahgat, a professor at
National Defense University in Washington who has worked extensively with Egyptian officers attending the school," or, on the other, "a trusted partner. Retired Army Lt. Gen.
R. Steven Whitcomb, who oversaw joint exercises with the Egyptian military while stationed in the Middle East, invited Enan and his wife to his home at
Fort McPherson in Atlanta for a private dinner in 2007. According to Whitcomb, Enan complained about the effect that budget cuts were having on the military as the Mubarak administration dealt with political and economic problems." The
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is the body of 18 senior military men, including Anan, to which the power to govern was handed by departing President Mubarak on 11 February 2011. Only
Hussein Tantawi ranked ahead of Anan on the armed forces website and in the Council at that time, according to
Al Jazeera. Assessing U.S. views of Anan thereafter, particularly by way of the
United States diplomatic cables leak,
The Guardian newspaper saw Anan "as more amenable to personal ties" than the older, change-resistant and standoffish Tantawi. Also, the story said, the
Muslim Brotherhood "has described [Anan] as incorruptible and as one of its cleric[s] put it: 'He can be the future man of Egypt … I think he will be acceptable.'" As the newspaper saw it, this gave the "Soviet-trained" general an unusual span of support in the post-Mubarak government". On 12 August 2012, President
Mohamed Morsi announced Anan's retirement, and his replacement by
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. On 2 October 2012, the Egyptian public prosecutor announced that Anan would be investigated for corruption, the first such investigation against a military figure. == Elections ==