Egyptian warships join Russian vessels for naval drills in Black Sea
Several Egyptian warships are in the Black Sea to link up with Russian forces for a joint exercise called Bridge of Friendship 2020. Drills were scheduled to begin yesterday.
That might unsettle some observers in Washington.
In the past few decades, the US prioritised military aid to Egypt, allocating $40 billion since 1980, according to the US State Department.
High-profile arms transfers included M1 Abrams tanks, which the Egyptians now manufacture locally, and Apache helicopters.
But some people may be surprised that Egypt also maintains a large “blue water” navy – a maritime force capable of operating globally.
Since 2015, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has pushed for the modernisation of the naval fleet, much of which consists of older vessels transferred from the US.
At least one of the vessels in the Black Sea drills dates back to the 1990s: an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, one of four that Egypt obtained from the US following closer naval co-operation between the countries.
But two more modern vessels that headed to the Black Sea highlight Cairo’s ambition.
One is a Gowind-class corvette, probably one of several vessels purchased for € 1bn ($1.19bn) from French company Naval Group in 2014. The vessel is armed with anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.
An Ambassador MK III fast missile craft joins them. It is one of four vessels designed to order by US company VT Halter Marine.
The Black Sea exercise is not geopolitically insignificant and Russia and Egypt have been strengthening military ties.
High-profile arms deals involved a $2bn order for Russian SU-35 jets last year, which reports suggest caused some consternation in Washington.
But the joint exercise should be seen in the context of routine drills carried out between the Egyptian Navy and several other nations.
This month the British Royal Navy held drills with the Egyptian Navy and James Heappey, UK Minister for the Armed Forces, had a meeting with Egyptian senior officers.
Two British warships and the Egyptian Mistral-class helicopter carrier ENS Anwar El Sadat, purchased from France, also took part in those exercises.
The British Royal Navy tweeted an image of one of its ships alongside the Egyptian helicopter carrier.
Last month, Egyptian vessels took part in exercises with the Spanish Navy and in July last year Egypt held the joint exercise Eagle Response 19 with the UAE and the US.
The exercise included live fire drills, according to analyst Mahmoud Gamal. Egypt is also diversifying naval equipment suppliers among its allies.
In 2018, Germany finalised a deal to sell four frigates to Egypt for $2.7bn.
One of the ships will be built in Alexandria in partnership with German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
Mr El Sisi no doubt hopes such modernisation and training efforts will give regional foes second thoughts about challenging Cairo’s interests in an increasingly contested Mediterranean.
But observers should not read too much into a specific joint exercise. Cairo will probably continue to pursue balanced foreign relations, especially in the realm of defence.