On Wednesday, a spokesperson from the Egyptian military announced that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to inaugurate the ‘3rd of July Military Base’, a new naval base overlooking the Mediterranean near the Egyptian-Libyan border in Gargoub district.
According to the military spokesperson, who posted a video on Facebook stating that it contains“facilities that conform to the code of global military bases,” the base is located in Al-Nujaila town, approximately 70 km west of Marsa Matrouh.
The video adds that the base represents “an integrated military scope that forms a launching base to protect the capabilities of the Egyptian nation along the northern and western directions of the country.”
The new naval base will also be the location of the execution of the QADER 2021 manoeuvre, according to the military spokesman.
The military spokesperson added that the construction of such bases comes within the framework of the comprehensive development plan for the Egyptian Navy.
Along with protecting Egyptian economic interests and securing global shipping lines as part of Egypt’s role in protecting navigation security in the eastern and southeastern Mediterranean, these bases are said to represent launching centers to provide logistical support to Egyptian forces in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea to confront the threats and challenges in the region.
For the past few years, Egyptian contractors have been constructing the new 3rd of July naval base in Gargoub to be part of Egypt’s Northern Fleet guarding the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Prior to the naval base, the Mohamed Naguib base and the Bernice military/naval base on the Red Sea, near Egypt’s border with Sudan, were opened in July 2017 and January 2020, respectively. These bases aim to assert Egypt’s control over its borders and protect its strategic interests, according to official statements.
