Egypt has officially launched the largest military base on the Red Sea which also makes it one of the largest in the region. The Berenice military base was opened by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The base, built to the southeast of Aswan, covers an area of 150 000 acres, with naval and air sections. The aviation section has two 3000-meter-long runways with fortified aircraft bunkers as well as a general hangar for maintenance and repair, technical area and administrative area covering around 100 buildings in total. The naval section has a 1000m-long pier with 14m-deep water, allowing large vessels such as aircraft carriers, submarines, and frigates to dock. The base also has a military hospital and training facilities as well as a desalination plant with a capacity of 3400 cubic meters a day.
The military base is set to facilitate Egypt’s role in the regional stability which is marred by warring sides and insecurity especially amongst her immediate neighbors; Sudan and Libya. The opening was attended by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman, Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov, and Armenian President Armen Sarkissian.
The Egyptian presidency said the base will help protect Egypt’s coast, economic investments, and natural resources and neutralize security challenges in the Red Sea as well as ensure the security of traffic through the Suez Canal.
