Egyptians assumed an aggressive character instead of its earlier defensive one. The new Egyptian army, supported by its navy, reached its peak during the New Kingdom.

The army was split into an Upper Egyptian corps and a Lower Egyptian corps, and each was led by a lieutenant commander. They were stationed at frontier forts, escorted royal processions, intervened in riots, and possibly even served as unskilled building labour. The pharaoh's specialized troops, the elite fighting forces were called "Braves of the King".

The chain of command, in order of rank can be summarised as:

11. King, commander in chief
12. General, or overseer of the army, who reported directly to the king
13. Lieutenant commander, serving as senior officer
14. Overseer of the Nubian frontier and Mediterranean coast fortresses
15. Overseer of garrison troops
16. Troop commander, in charge of several regiments, a brigade or a fortress
17. Captain of the troop
18. Commander of 250 soldiers
19. Standard-bearer, controlling 200 men
20. "Greatest of Fifty", the lowest commander

When the Hykos invaded Lower Egypt, they introduced the country to weapons and protective gear never before seen that close to the Nile. Because of the invaders, walls in the tombs of dead nobles and kings were covered in paintings of ancient Egyptian war chariots.

Other weapons used by the ancient Egyptian army included clubs and maces, as well as axes, knives, and swords; they were also handy with projectile weapons such as spears, bows and arrows, and javelins.

Shields were the main bit of defensive equipment, with the occasional use of limited body armour. The Egyptians also used siege weaponry when necessary, such as towers and battering rams.

A good portion of Egyptian population was required to join the military. Onuris was the Egyptian god of war. Pharaohs personally led important wars whereas minor battles were under the control of princes and officials. The army itself was made up of the infantry and charity divisions which consisted of 5,000 soldiers each.

Victory over the enemy meant an infusion of riches for Egypt from the booty that was collected. Generally, Egyptian kings such as Thutmose III kept better control over their men, allowing them to plunder the enemy camp after victory was achieved.

Booty was turned over to the king, who in turn distributed one portion of it to temple priests and another to the deserving soldiers who had fought the battle.