Egypt has taken command of an international naval task force formed last year to maintain maritime security in the Red Sea, a US military statement said on Tuesday.
The 34-nation Combined Task Force 153 was set up last year and is headquartered in Bahrain, also home to the US 5th Fleet.
In a ceremony, US Navy Captain Robert Francis handed command of the force to Rear Admiral Mahmoud Abdel Sattar, marking the first time Egypt assumed command of the force.
“It is my honour to serve as commander of Combined Task Force 153,” the statement quoted Admiral Abdel Sattar as saying. “The focus of my efforts will be to work closely with regional countries, partners and participating nations to maintain maritime security and stability in the region.”
The Egyptian commander is a 27-year naval veteran with extensive experience in submarine operations. He recently served as the chief of staff of a base in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where the Arab nation’s navy has its headquarters.
Egypt, with 2,000km of coastline on the Red Sea and Mediterranean, has in recent years significantly bolstered its naval capabilities, making its navy the largest in the Middle East and Africa by number of vessels.
It has taken delivery of French-made Mistral troop carriers and German submarines, as well as European and US-made frigates. It also manufactures smaller vessels domestically. Its navy has in recent years kept a busy schedule of joint war games with its counterparts from the US, Europe and the Gulf region.
The security of the Red Sea has become paramount to Egypt and its Arab allies in the Gulf since the capture in 2014 and 2015 by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of large swathes of Yemen in the south-west corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Houthis have on numerous occasions threatened the security of Red Sea shipping lanes. US naval vessels have often intercepted ships with a cargo of Iranian weapons on their way to Yemen.
Piracy is another threat to shipping in the Red and Arabian seas.
