BEIRUT — Flanked by gleaming Egyptian military equipment in an elaborate ceremony, on Saturday Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi inaugurated the nation’s new, sprawling strategic command headquarters in what Cairo described as the largest complex of its kind in the Middle East.
“This massive facility transcends traditional military headquarters, serving as a miniature administrative and defense hub. It operates as an integrated center for crisis management and smart command,” the country’s state information service said in a statement.
El-Sissi said in the announcement that the strategic command represented a “significant leap” in Egypt’s command and control and operations management systems.
The 22,000 acre (34 square mile) complex is located in Cairo’s New Administrative capital, and includes eight buildings forming an Octagon shape, according to a government factsheet .
America’s Pentagon, by contrast, is dominated by a single building that’s about 29 acres, still known to be the world’s “largest low-rise office building.” The Octagon would cover just under half of the area of the entire city of Washington, DC.
The new facility, el-Sissi said, is equipped “with an advanced technological infrastructure, secure communication systems, and superior capabilities in information gathering and analysis. It links leadership and executive levels within a single framework that achieves the highest degrees of integration, accuracy, and speed of response.”
The state information service said the “advanced technologies accelerate decision-making, optimize coordination across all Armed Forces branches, and maximize national readiness against shifting regional and international challenges.”
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This inauguration, which was streamed on YouTube and featured a nighttime concert as well as a drone display, comes in the wake of conflicts in the region between the US and Israel from one side, and Iran and its armed groups from the other side.
“This command is not solely tasked with managing military situations; it is a fundamental pillar in the state’s capacity to confront challenges and exceptional circumstances,” el-Sissi said in his speech.
During the ceremony Egypt’s air force conducted air show displaying different military formations using fighter jets including the F-16 Block 52, MiG-29, Rafale and Mirage, according to the factsheet. The aerial display also showcased E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning, C-130 Hercules transport planes, and Kamov attack helicopters.
“The inauguration suggests that it is a significant contribution to and a projection of Egypt’s military capabilities,” Gawdat Bahgat, distinguished professor at the National Defense University in Washington told Breaking Defense.
He added that the huge “construction by itself does not mean anything — much more important is how it will operate and the real value it would add to the nation’s defense posture, which is yet to be determined.”
Bahgat pointed that Egypt has the largest military in the Arab world and is constantly modernizing its armed forces.
“The wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have created a new strategic landscape in the Middle East. With more than 100 million people and long history and strategic location, Egypt will always be a key player in [Middle East] policy,” he said. “The facility can be seen as a sign that the Egyptian government assets its role and military capabilities in the changing strategic dynamics in the [region].”