Posted on Aug 7, 2021
New Egyptian Base Sends Messages of Support to Libya, Challenge To Turkey - Breaking Defense
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"BEIRUT: Egypt has inaugurated a new naval base on the Mediterranean Sea, in a move that regional experts say is both a clear commitment to its war-torn neighbor Libya and an indirect warning to its rival Turkey.
“The opening of the base signifies Egypt’s determination to assert itself as a regional naval power with vast capacities,” one Egyptian official told Breaking Defense. “Cairo is determined to challenge efforts by its competitors like Turkey to expand their area of influence and control oil and gas rich zones of the Mediterranean.”
Dubbed “3rd of July,” the base is in Gargoub, around 140km from the border with Libya. Spread over 10 square kilometers, it has a 1,000m naval pier with a water depth of 14km. The base was named “July 3” after the day eight years ago when an army-backed popular uprising removed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from power.
The location helps to fortify Egypt’s northern coasts, and is the latest in a series of naval base developments planned by Cairo. Back in Jan. 2020, Cairo inaugurated its “Bernice” naval base in the southeast, overlooking the Red Sea, and will soon inaugurate a new one east of Port Said on the northern end of the Suez Canal.
“The new base is a crucial take off point to intervene in case of any threats that could arise in Libya,” said Mohammad Al-Kenany, director of the military studies unit at the Arab Forum for Policy Analysis in Cairo. . “Egyptian units will be rapidly deployed on the Libyan coasts when needed, especially given the unsteadiness of the situation there.”
Given the strategic importance, it may seem a surprise there was not already a military port at Gargoub. But Egypt’s naval priorities have been focused more on updating its fleets than updating its basing structure, and the creation of the Bernice base, which serves both air and naval assets, was a higher priority.
Changes in geopolitics also helped focus attention on developing the new facility."
"BEIRUT: Egypt has inaugurated a new naval base on the Mediterranean Sea, in a move that regional experts say is both a clear commitment to its war-torn neighbor Libya and an indirect warning to its rival Turkey.
“The opening of the base signifies Egypt’s determination to assert itself as a regional naval power with vast capacities,” one Egyptian official told Breaking Defense. “Cairo is determined to challenge efforts by its competitors like Turkey to expand their area of influence and control oil and gas rich zones of the Mediterranean.”
Dubbed “3rd of July,” the base is in Gargoub, around 140km from the border with Libya. Spread over 10 square kilometers, it has a 1,000m naval pier with a water depth of 14km. The base was named “July 3” after the day eight years ago when an army-backed popular uprising removed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from power.
The location helps to fortify Egypt’s northern coasts, and is the latest in a series of naval base developments planned by Cairo. Back in Jan. 2020, Cairo inaugurated its “Bernice” naval base in the southeast, overlooking the Red Sea, and will soon inaugurate a new one east of Port Said on the northern end of the Suez Canal.
“The new base is a crucial take off point to intervene in case of any threats that could arise in Libya,” said Mohammad Al-Kenany, director of the military studies unit at the Arab Forum for Policy Analysis in Cairo. . “Egyptian units will be rapidly deployed on the Libyan coasts when needed, especially given the unsteadiness of the situation there.”
Given the strategic importance, it may seem a surprise there was not already a military port at Gargoub. But Egypt’s naval priorities have been focused more on updating its fleets than updating its basing structure, and the creation of the Bernice base, which serves both air and naval assets, was a higher priority.
Changes in geopolitics also helped focus attention on developing the new facility."
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