The Mohammed Naguib Military Base Is The Middle East’s Largest
EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE | Photos by reuters
Egyptian military capability is based on foundations that are deeply rooted in the country’s military doctrine, which each member of the Armed Forces believes in, whether in victory or martyrdom.
After that comes the military’s possession of advanced technological systems of armaments, training, and technical and administrative security to maintain the highest levels of readiness and preparation. This allows the military to carry out its mission to protect the pillars of Egyptian national security from every strategic angle.
These foundations are accompanied by Egypt’s possession of a highly developed industrial and productive base that helps the Armed Forces realize self-sufficiency, satisfy the requirements of the domestic market, and ease the burden on Egyptian citizens.
The Mohammed Naguib Military Base is among the latest successes to add to the list, both in terms of quality and quantity. Founded within the framework of the Armed Forces’ comprehensive development and updated strategy, the base replaces the military city in the El Hammam region established in 1993.
Supported by new administrative and technical units and occupied by units from Egypt’s northern military region, the new base reinforces the country’s ability to secure vital regions west of Alexandria along the north coast of the Mediterranean sea. The region includes El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, oil fields, the port of Marsa Al Hamra, and New El Alamein.
Military commanders ordered the transformation of the old military city into an integrated base named after Gen. Mohammed Naguib, Egypt’s first president following the dissolution of the monarchy in 1953.
This epic overhaul engaged the Egyptian military’s engineering corps for two years. Engineers built 1,155 buildings for units stationed at the base, developed and widened 72 kilometers of roads inside and outside the base, and built four main gates and eight interior gates. The project also included new buildings to reposition a heavy tank battalion with about 451 modern tanks from Amreya. Units from the King Mariout region were also repositioned to complete the forces at the base.
For combat training, 72 integrated grounds were established, including a complex of specialized training areas, small arms firing ranges, and electronic tactical firing ranges that accommodate the latest shooting simulation systems.
The Mohammed Naguib Base’s administrative development included erecting a residential city for joint exercises, consisting of 14 fully furnished buildings for officers, 15 buildings for noncommissioned officers (NCO) and two upgraded and developed buildings equipped to accommodate 1,000 Soldiers.
In addition, a multipurpose hall inside the base was developed to include a mess hall for officers and another for the other ranks, as well as lecture and training halls. The base’s main club was upgraded with a swimming pool and gymnasium providing the most modern sports and recreational technologies. The military hospital was improved to accommodate 50 beds and the latest medical equipment and devices. A veterinary clinic and laboratory were also established. The base’s bread production unit was updated with six gas lines, replacing four old solar-powered lines.
Modern amenities inside the base include a multipurpose conference hall that seats 1,600, linked to a theater equipped with the latest technology, a wargames center, language and computer labs, and a museum dedicated to the late President Naguib. Also on site is a mosque that holds more than 2,000 worshipers.
An athletic village includes a covered sports hall, Olympic-size soccer field, officers club, and an NCO club. It is equipped with a swimming pool, six open fields, and courts for basketball, volleyball and handball.
The new base officially opened in July 2017 with a ceremony attended by leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Egypt calls the complex “the “largest military base in the Middle East.”
The attendance of numerous Arab leaders at the ceremony — which included acrobatic displays and rope climbing — was a sign of Arab unity, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proclaimed.
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