UNIPATH STAFF
Egyptian and French naval forces converged on the Red Sea in February 2018 to demonstrate the importance of multinational cooperation in protecting shipping lanes from terrorist attacks.
Cleopatra 2018 was the name of the joint training exercise that included naval gunfire with live ammunition, helicopter missions launched from Mistral class amphibious assault ships, refueling operations on a Red Sea island, and searches and seizures of suspect vessels.
Egypt supplied units from its southern fleet, including the Mistral-class Anwar El Sadat, several frigates of the Gowind class, missile launchers and elements of special naval units.
Egyptian commanders viewed Cleopatra 2018 as inseparable from counterterrorism operations farther north in and around the Sinai Peninsula, where defense of the Suez Canal is a military priority.
“The drills come in conjunction with the Navy units executing set operations within the comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, to boost the sea theater in the Mediterranean and Red seas to preserve navigation and to prevent infiltration and smuggling along Egyptian coastlines,” Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman Col. Tamer El-Refa said.
Lt. Gen. Mohammed Farid Hegazy, chief of staff of the Armed Forces, observed the last stages of the Egyptian-French training, acclaimed as the largest joint naval exercise in the Red Sea. He was joined by Vice Adm. Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, commander in chief of the Egyptian Navy.
Lt. Gen. Hegazy praised the depth and breadth of the Egyptian-French relations and lauded Navy professionalism for contributing to the nation’s defense against terrorism.
Sources: Egyptian Ministry of Defense, Ahramonline