President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated on Thursday the southern navy leadership, which is based in the Red Sea and consists of a special navy forces brigade. The step is viewed as a measure that would foster military efficiency between the Egyptian Armed Forces and navy based in the Red Sea.
According to a statement issued by army spokesperson Tamer El-Refai, the navy forces’ establishment of the southern navy leadership is considered a “quantum leap” for the Egyptian navy armament and formulation as it grants the army full control of operations carried out in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Al-Sisi flew the Egyptian flag over the recently received French-made Mistral helicopter carrier that arrived in Egypt in late June as part of a warships deal signed among other agreements between Egypt and France in 2016.
“The navy forces witnessed recently unprecedented development through the joining of a number of state-of-the-art frigates and the two Mistral helicopter carriers. The inauguration of the southern navy leadership is a clear sign that Egypt has highly qualified navy forces,” a lecturer at Nasr Military Academy and the former chief of Task Force 777 operations Hatem Saber told Daily News Egypt on Saturday.
Egypt regularly pays great attention to qualifying the members of its armed forces rather than its armament, as the individual soldier is the true wealth of the military, Saber explained.
In October 2016, the second French Mistral helicopter carrier arrived in Alexandria. The carrier, named after late Egyptian president Anwar El-Sadat, was the second Mistral warship in a deal signed between Egypt and France last August. The deal is worth $1bn for the acquisition of two Mistral warships.
The navy special forces are being subjected to strict, rough military and physical trainings that may continue for three consecutive years. Those who are currently based in the Red Sea are a special forces brigade that is specialised in bombing operations against submarines or warships and they are distinguished by their standards and unprecedented level of fighting professionalism, Saber explained.
Moreover, Saber considers Egypt as the only country in the Middle East that has a highly trained and ready army to face the current challenges, which includes countering terrorism.
During the inauguration ceremony, Al-Sisi witnessed an exercise by the navy special forces that showed its ability to inspect any suspicious ship as well as the modality with which they face any potential threats from warships.
