Egypt's Morsy 'retires' military brass
- NEW: President says he wants military to focus on protecting the homeland
- Tantawi's 'expertise will be of higher value' as a presidential adviser, PM says
- Morsy has replaced the defense minister who took over for Mubarak, his spokesman says
- He also reversed a military decree claiming legislative power for the generals
Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy shook up the country's powerful military leadership Sunday, replacing top generals and reasserting power the military claimed for itself before he took office.
Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the defense minister who took power after the 2011 ouster of longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak, was given a top medal and "sent to retirement," Morsy spokesman Yasser Ali announced Sunday evening on state-run Nile Television. So was Lt. Gen. Sami Anan, the chief of staff of the armed forces.
Both men were named as advisers to Morsy, the country's first freely elected president, but no details of the new posts were announced. The commanders of Egypt's navy, air force and air defense force were sent into retirement as well, Ali said.
Speaking Sunday night at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Morsy addressed the shakeup, saying it was meant to move the nation forward.
"The decisions that were made today were not directed at certain people, and I didn't mean to embarrass institutions. My goal is not to narrow down the freedom of those who were created free by God," the president said.
Thousands of Egyptians gather in Tahrir Square after Mohamed Morsi is declared the nation's first democratically elected president on Sunday, June 24. In a nationally televised speech, the longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood promised to represent all Egyptians. 
As fireworks burst overhead, Egyptians in Tahrir Square celebrate Mohamed Morsi's election on Sunday. 
A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood is carried away from the tightly packed arena of Tahrir Square in Cairo on Sunday as Mohamed Morsi supporters celebrate his victory in Egypt's presidential election. 
Morsi suppporters celebrate in front of a picture of him at his campaign headquarters in Cairo on June 24. 
Supporters of presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik react after hearing the results of the presidential elections in Cairo on June 24. 
Farouq Sultan, center, head of the Higher Presidential Election Commission, reads the results of the presidential runoff election in Cairo on Sunday, declaring Morsi the winner. 
Muslim Brotherhood supporters cheer in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday after hearing of Morsi's victory in Egypt's presidential election. 
Egyptians celebrate the election of Morsi after he won 51% of the vote to defeat Shafik. 
Egyptians fill Tahrir Square on Sunday, June 24, as they wait for the elections commission to announce the winner of the country's presidential election. 
Female supporters of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, protest against Egypt's military rulers in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Saturday, June 23. Egyptian election officials had postponed the announcement of a winner in last weekend's presidential runoff, stating they needed more time to evaluate charges of electoral abuse that could affect who becomes the country's next president. 
A supporter of presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, holds up a wooden Christian cross and Muslim crescent as he and others demonstrate in Nasr city on the outskirts of Cairo, on Saturday, June 23. 
The official election results are expected on June 24. 
Protesters demonstrate against Egypt's military rulers. 
Protesters take a break from shouting slogans to pray in Tahrir Square. 
Protesters sleep as they camp overnight in Tahrir Square. 
Protesters wave flags and shout slogans in Tahrir Square on Friday, June 22, in Cairo. 
Crowds gather in Tahrir Square to protest against Egypt's military rulers. 
Protesters shout slogans to denounce what they claim is a power grab by the ruling military, as the nation nervously awaits the results of the first post-Mubarak presidential election. 
Protesters gather in front of wall art in Tahrir Square. 
Protesters perform Friday noon prayer under tents erected in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square. 
Egyptian activists rest at the foot of a banner of presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday, June 21. 
Muslim clerics join demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Thursday to protest the delay of the presidential election results. The Presidential Election Commission postponed the release of the presidential election results, and both candidates have declared themselves winners. 
A supporter of Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik kisses a portrait of him during a Cairo rally Wednesday, June 20. Shafik was the last prime minister to serve under Hosni Mubarak 
Morsi supporters rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday, June 18. Morsi declared victory as Egypt's first democratically elected president even as military rulers issued a decree that virtually stripped the position of power. 
Morsi supporters wave flags Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square after the Islamists claimed victory. The square was considered the heart of the February 2011 uprising that led to Hosni Mubarak's downfall. 
The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi makes his way through supporters at electoral headquarters early Monday in Cairo. In a victory speech, Morsi did not address the military council's move but tried to allay fears he would impose an Islamist state. 
Morsi supporters celebrate Monday in Cairo. Votes in the Egyptian capital, the largest population center, continued to be tallied, but unofficial results by a state-run news website showed Morsi leading elsewhere with 11.2 million votes, compared with 10.3 million for Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister in the waning days of Mubarak's regime. 
Egyptian election officials count ballots at a polling station in Cairo on Sunday, June 17. The official vote count was scheduled to be finished Monday. 
The Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday claims its candidate, Mohamed Morsi, has defeated foe Ahmed Shafik to become Egypt's president. 
An Egyptian woman shows her ink-stained finger, marking that she voted in Cairo on Sunday. 
Women line up to vote at a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, on the second and final day of the run-off presidential election. 
Women line-up to cast their vote at a polling station in Cairo on Sunday. 
Egyptian Christian Coptic men help a woman reach a polling station in the Cairo Coptic Shubra neighborhood on Saturday, June 16. Voters returned to the polls after Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the Islamist-led Parliament must be immediately dissolved. 
A full-veiled Egyptian woman casts her vote at a polling station in Cairo on June 16. 
Egyptians queue outside a polling station in Cairo. 
An Egyptian Muslim Salafist shows his ink-stained finger after voting at a polling station. 
An Egyptian woman dips her finger in indelible ink after casting her ballot. 
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi, center, waves to his supporters as he arrives at a polling station to vote in the city of Zagazig. 
An Egyptian woman casts her ballot in Cairo. 
Egyptians check to see their names are listed before casting their votes at a polling station. 
Egyptian women dip their fingers in ink after voting at a polling station. 
An elderly Egyptian man shows the indelible ink stain on his finger after voting on the first day of the second round of the historical presidential election at a polling station in the city of Zagazig. 
Egyptians push a truck that was blocking the entrance of a polling station. 
An Egyptian man smiles after casting his vote in Giza. 
A veiled Egyptian woman looks for her name on the registered voters' list in the city of Zagazig. 
An Egyptian Coptic Christian woman casts her vote in the Cairo Coptic neighborhood of Shubra. 
Egyptian women cast their votes at a polling station. 
An Egyptian woman holds her baby as she prepares to vote at a polling station in Cairo. 
An Egyptian man shows off his little finger covered in indelible ink after casting his vote at a polling station in Cairo. 
An Egyptian man on his donkey shows his ink-stained finger after casting his ballot. 
Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi casts his ballot at a polling station in the city of Zagazig. 
An Egyptian woman holds up an ink-stained finger after casting her vote at a polling station in Cairo. 
An elderly Egyptian man registers Saturday before voting in the city of Zagazig in an election that pits Ahmed Shafik, the last premier of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, against Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi. 
Election officials and an Egyptian soldier direct voters during the second stage of runoff presidential elections at a polling station in Giza. 
Egyptian Christian Coptic men check the voters' list Saturday outside a polling station in the Cairo Coptic neighborhood of Shubra. 
Egyptians burn the likeness of presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik in Cairo on Friday, the eve of the nation's presidential election. 
A bus driver stops to wave in support of Egyptian protesters making their way to Tahrir Square on Thursday. 
Egyptians pray in Tahrir Square on Thursday during a protest against presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik. 
A protester stands on a barricade of barbed wire as Egyptian military police stand guard. Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Islamist-led parliament must be immediately dissolved. 
An Egyptian boy waves his shoes as he joins supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in a protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square against Mubarak-era prime minister and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik after Egypt's top court rejected on Thursday a law barring him from standing in a tense presidential poll runoff. 
Protestors gesture towards military police through a barricade of barbed wire during a protest against presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik outside the Supreme Constitutional Court on Thursday. 
People walk past graffiti showing faces of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, right; Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, second right; former Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mussa, second left, and former prime minister and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, left, at Tahrir square. 
A boy peers through barbed wire at Egyptian military police standing guard outside the Constitutional Court in Cairo on Thursday, June 14. 
Egyptian women line up to cast their vote Saturday. 
Former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, center, is seated before addressing a business conference in Cairo on Wednesday. 
Egyptians read the front page of newspapers for sale outside of Al-Fatah Mosque in Cairo on Friday, May 25. 
Ballots are counted by election officials in Alexandria as the country eagerly awaits the outcome Friday. 
A supporter of presidential candidate Abdelmonen Abol Fotoh voices her opinions at Tahrir Square on Friday. 
Supporters of various candidates debate outside Al-Fatah Mosque in Cairo on Friday. 
Electoral officials monitor voting in Namul, a village north of Cairo, on Thursday, May 24, the second and final day of voting in Egypt's historic presidential election. Egypt is holding its first presidential election since last year's toppling of Hosni Mubarak, part of the wave of Arab Spring uprisings. 
Egyptian women wait in line Thursday to cast their vote outside a polling station in Cairo. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote in the first round of voting, a second round will be held June 16-17. 
An election worker checks the identification of a voter at a polling place Thursday in Namul as Egyptian soldiers stand guard. 
A soldier stands watch in the Egyptian capital on the second day of voting. A pervasive fear exists that the powerful military, which has run the country since Mubarak's fall 16 months ago, could try to hijack the election. 
An Egyptian man waits to cast his ballot Thursday north of Cairo. The vote is considered Egypt's first free and fair presidential election in modern history. 
An Egyptian man drops off his ballot at a polling station Thursday in Cairo. The voting marks the first time Egypt has held a presidential election in which the results aren't known beforehand. 
An Egyptian woman holds up an ink-stained finger after casting her ballot in Cairo on Wednesday, May 23, the first day of voting in the historic election. 
A voter studies her ballot Wednesday in Cairo. Thirteen candidates are competing in the wide-open race, but two withdrew after ballots were printed. 
Egyptian men fill out their ballots Wednesday in Cairo. Results of the first round of voting are not expected before the weekend. 
An Egyptian man casts his ballot at a Cairo polling station. Some Egyptians told CNN that they waited up to four hours Wednesday to vote. 
Egyptian men shield themselves from the hot sun outside a Cairo polling station Wednesday. 
Egyptian men line up to cast their vote Wednesday in Cairo. Some 30,000 volunteers fanned out to ensure voting is fair, said organizers with the April 6 youth movement, which has campaigned for greater democracy in Egypt. 
Egyptian men fill out their ballots at a Cairo polling place. 
Presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, a leftist dark-horse contender, flashes a sign of victory as he waits to vote at a Cairo school. 
Presidential candidate Abdelmonen Abol Fotoh, a moderate Islamist, casts his ballot Wednesday in Cairo. 
An Egyptian Coptic nun drops her ballot at a Cairo polling station Wednesday. 
Egyptian women wait outside a polling station in Cairo. Many Egyptians seem uncertain of their loyalties to any particular candidate. 
Egypt's long road to presidency Addressing histo members of the armed forces, Morsy added: "I only want the best for them. I want for them to focus on a mission that is holy for all of us, which is protecting the homeland."
Morsy's funeral absence fuels outrage 
Clashes could hurt Egypt's economy The announcement comes a little over a month after the president and the generals butted heads over Morsy's attempt to recall the country's disbanded parliament. Analysts called the moves a sign of a major shift in the balance of power between civilian leaders and the military, the backbone of the modern Egyptian state.
"This is the first time in Egypt's political history that an elected civilian politician overrules the decisions of the heads of the military establishment," said Omar Ashour, a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center.
Source: Egyptian forces raid Sinai militants
Prime Minister Hesham Kandil said Morsy "adheres to the legal procedures and the constitution in his decision." Morsy "recognizes Field Marshal Tantawi's hard work in the transitional phase and his efforts in leading Egypt to safety during the revolution," but "His expertise will be of higher value as an adviser to the president."
Morsy promoted Maj. Gen. Abdul Fatah Khalil al-Sisi, the head of military intelligence, to defense minister and head of Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, with the rank of field marshal, Nile TV said. He also named Mahmoud Mekki as his vice president, and he reversed a June constitutional decree by the Supreme Council that claimed to retain legislative authority until a new parliament could be sworn in near the end of the year, Ali said.
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Morsy's Freedom and Justice party, the political wing of the long-suppressed Muslim Brotherhood, called for supporters to rally in support of the moves Sunday night in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the revolt against Mubarak.
The steps announced Sunday come as Egyptian forces are battling militants in the Sinai Peninsula blamed for an attack that killed more than a dozen troops at a border post last week. They follow an abortive July attempt by Morsy to recall the parliament that the generals ordered dissolved in late June, a challenge to military authority that was halted by Egypt's highest court.
Morsy assumed office June 30 and moved quickly to assert his authority, attempting to call back into session lawmakers whose elections had been thrown out by a June decision from Egypt's Constitutional Court.
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In the aftermath of the court decision, the generals announced they would retain the power to make laws and budget decisions until a new parliament was elected under a new constitution. Under the military council's decree, Egypt's new constitution must be drawn up within three months.
Morsy's bid faltered when the Constitutional Court declared that its ruling was final. Rabab Elmahdi, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said Morsy was pushed into Sunday's shakeup by resistance "from the military establishment, from the old regime."
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"I think what we're seeing is a changing balance of power on the ground," Elmahdi said. "The legitimacy of the first elected president in Egyptian history is something we cannot take lightly, and I think Morsy was sort of forced to make use of this kind of legitimacy."
Meanwhile, the military establishment, which has dominated the Egyptian state since 1952, doesn't want to rule directly, she said.
"They have much more complicated interests -- economic interests and political interests to keep the institution intact," Elmahdi said.
CNN's Amir Ahmed, Yousuf Basil and Hamdi Alkhshali and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.
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