Expert: 3 July Base sustains Egypt's security, peace in region

Strategic expert Major General Mahmoud Khalaf shed light on the importance of the naval base, the 3 July Base, in Gargoub

Strategic expert Major General Mahmoud Khalaf shed light on the importance of the naval base, the 3 July Base, in Gargoub area on the Northern coast of Egypt inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah e-Sisi on the northwestern coast near Libya.

Over the phone to (Africa Today), he highlighted that the opening of such a naval base implies several advantages the most important of which is a message to the whole world signifying the power and strength of Egypt and its ability not only to secure itself but also to support security of the Mediterranean that faces different struggles among some countries. It also shows that anyone who threatens Egypt coast would be deterred, he emphasized. 

He added that the inspection of various machinery tools, weapons and equipment intensifies Egypt’s hegemony. On the eastern coast, he illustrated, we also have other naval bases on the Red Sea to maintain the national security of the state in all directions. This shows a significant contribution to the stability and security of the whole world in both seas, Khalaf reaffirmed.

Further, he commented on the appropriate time of the inauguration as it is related to the developments of the military armed forces.

General Khalaf assured that the presence of the leaders of the UAE and Libya serves as a message that the Arab national security is related to the Egyptian national security. "Egypt supports the Arab security and all Arab countries support Egypt as well", he asserted.

In the same context, he stated that the naval base objective is deterrence which means that those who would come closer to the Arab national security and try to harm it would face grave consequences and harshly penalized. The solidarity of the Arab countries is unquestionable, the expert reiterated.

It is pertinent to mention that the 3 July Base is the latest to fulfill the combat missions of the Egyptian Northern Fleet to confront security challenges and to protect Egyptian resources along Egypt's regional water in the Mediterranean Sea. The base is a huge scope that extends over an area of over 10 million square meters. It includes 74 facilities and contains a lot of combat units, operations center, joint exercise center, 7 training fields and a military pier at a length of 1000 meters and a depth of 14 meters.

(Africa Today) is aired daily. This episode is presented by Mahesty Rabei.