CAIRO – The Egyptian and French navies have just wrapped up maritime exercises in the Red Sea, having conducted a series of naval activities with participation by some important assets from the two navies, including the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
The training, which came to an end on March 14, included a number of combat exercises, landing helicopters on board of each countries’ naval units, and establishing near and distant security perimeters, according to Egyptian army spokesman Brig -Gen. Tamer al-Rifae.
The training with the French navy came hard on the heels of another exercise with the Spanish navy in the Red Sea as well.
Deep fears
The deeply underlying reason for these repeated drills in the region are Egyptian fears of a spillover from the situation in Yemen and fear of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia on vessels crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the way to the Suez Canal or from the Canal to other parts of Africa, security analysts said.
"These repeated drills serve to deliver a clear message to the Houthis and other inimical forces that Egypt is always ready to defend itself against potential attacks," retired Egyptian army general Nasr Salem told Majalla.
The Houthis threatened more than one time to target vessels transiting the Red Sea on the way to the Suez Canal.
In December 2020, the Iran-backed militia attacked a cargo vessel with a sea mine in the Red Sea.
In October 2016, the militia attacked an Emirati civilian ship off the Yemeni coast.
In July 2017, the Houthis attacked another Emirati ship off the coast of Yemen.
In October 2016, the Iran-backed militia staged a failed missile attack on a US Navy guided missile destroyer. These were only a few examples of attacks launched by the Houthis in the past few years and include assaults on Saudi oil tankers.
Getting ready
After the Houthi takeover of most of the Arab country in 2015, Egypt reacted to the turmoil in Yemen by beefing up security in the Red Sea, particularly the area in close proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Apart from deploying units of its navy near the southern entrance of the Red Sea, Egypt opened its southernmost naval/air base on the Red Sea coast in January 2020.
The Barnice base, near Egypt's border with Sudan, serves the southern Egyptian fleet which was installed a short time later.
The fleet is made up of a number of frigates, speedboats, submarines, corvettes and also a helicopter carrier. Egypt has spent billions of dollars on acquiring and manufacturing this equipment over the past few years.
"The southern fleet is there to protect the southern Egyptian Red Sea coast against security threats," retired Egyptian air force general Hesham al-Halabi told Majalla. "It also aims to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait which functions as the southern entrance to the Suez Canal."
Part of wider plan
Egypt has been providing verbal and practical support to Saudi Arabia and Arab Gulf nations in the face of Houthi threats, ever since the Yemeni militia overran the Yemeni capital of Sana'a in late 2014 and most of Yemen later.
In April 2017, Gen. Ahmed al-Aseri, an advisor to the Saudi Minister of Defense, revealed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had proposed sending around 40,000 Egyptian ground troops to participate in the liberation of Yemen from the Houthis.
In November of the same year, the Egyptian president said the security of the Arab Gulf region is a "redline" for Egypt.
However, the strengthening of Red Sea security is one detail in the larger picture of Egypt's military reawakening, which aims to protect Egypt's strategic interests in the region and includes huge investments together with the procurement of military equipment worth tens of billions of dollars.
Egypt, which has the most powerful Arab military, has modernized this military to protect its territorial waters and their newly-found gas reserves, especially in the Mediterranean, and also to cushion itself against rampant regional unrest, particularly in neighboring Libya with which it shares an extended border.
"The modernization of the army is an issue of extreme importance for the protection of Egypt's strategic interests and national security in a region that teems with turmoil," Gen. Salem said.
Pivotal resource
However, the Houthi takeover of most of Yemen has been as worrying to Egypt as it has been to Yemen's neighboring countries.
The Iran-backed militia's control over Yemen, especially over its coastal and port cities, has been a threat to navigation in the Red Sea and consequently to the Suez Canal, the fastest shipping route between Asia and Europe.
The canal gives Egypt a sizeable portion of its revenues with an average of $5 billion every year. It is not only important for Egypt's economy, but also for international trade.
Around 9% of the world's seaborne traded petroleum transits the Suez Canal. About 8% of the world's total liquefied natural gas passes through the Suez Canal and the Sumed Pipeline, which runs from Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez, near the Red Sea, to offshore Sidi Kerir in Alexandria on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
In recent years, Egypt invested very heavily in the upgrade of the canal, including the digging of a channel parallel to it.
Egypt also plans to turn the canal region into a major international logistical and industrial center, attracting tens of billions of dollars in investments and hundreds of international manufacturers and brands.
"The Suez Canal region project is of extreme importance for the Egyptian economy," independent economist Rashad Abdo told Majalla. "The government plans to attract tens of billions of dollars to the region which has a prominent geographical location and the capability to become a pre-eminent logistical-industrial hub."
