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Monday, May 23, 2016
Egypt's military cooperation with US continues to move forward

Egypt's military cooperation with US continues to move forward
The delivery of MRAPs to Egypt is part of the continuing strong relationship
between the US and Egypt, says Major General Charles Hooper, the US embassy’s
senior defence official in Cairo
Ahmed Eleiba , Monday 23 May 2016
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/217446/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-military-cooperation-with-US-continues-to-m.aspx

On 12 May Egypt received the first shipment of armoured vehicles from the
US. The US Embassy in Cairo featured an article on its official website on
the details of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, designed
to protect soldiers from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), landmines and
other forms of attacks.

Thursday’s delivery was “the first batch of a total of 762 MRAP vehicles
that the United States is transferring to Egypt,” the article reported.

“Originally designed to support United States military operations in
Afghanistan, MRAPs provide enhanced levels of protection to soldiers and are
proven to save lives.”

“The delivery of these MRAPs to Egypt provides a crucial capability needed
during these times of regional instability and is part of the continuing
strong relationship between the US and Egypt,” said Major General Charles
Hooper, the US embassy’s senior defence official in Cairo.

The website explained that the shipment of the MRAPs “is part of the US
Department of Defence’s excess defence articles grant program, in which the
vehicles are transferred at no cost to the government of Egypt.”

“This delivery is the most recent step taken by the US government in support
of Egypt’s fight against terrorism and is part of a broad range of military
cooperation initiatives between the two countries.”

Also last week, Egyptian Defence Minister Sedky Sobhy met with Vice Admiral
Joseph Rixey, director of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

The DSCA oversees contractual arrangements for armaments and defence
assistance abroad, for which it is required to gain congressional approval.

“The military ties that bind Egypt and the US are moving towards closer
cooperation and coordination in the coming period,” said Sobhy, according to
a press release issued by the Egyptian army following the meeting.

Vice Admiral Rixey expressed his gratitude to the Egyptian army for the
efforts they have exerted to preserve stability in the region and said the
US hopes to increase the scope of military cooperation between the two
countries’ armed forces.

The meeting took place as arrangements were being finalised for the arrival
of the MRAP shipment to Alexandria. A day after the delivery, on 13 May, the
DSCA website reported that the US State Department had approved a possible
sale to Egypt of a number of UGM-84L Harpoon Block II Encapsulated Missiles,
manufactured by Boeing. The estimated cost of the deal is $143 million. The
report added that the DSCA has already notified Congress of the possible
sale.

MRAPS, the specifications

MRAP vehicles were designed to withstand attacks by IEDs, landmines and
other explosive devices. The V-shape hull and raised chassis are designed to
deflect explosive forces.

The body of the vehicle and glass are heavily armoured and explosive
resistant. The vehicles are designed to operate efficiently in extreme
environments and rugged mountainous or desert terrains.

In 2007, the US Defence Department allocated $50 billion for the production
of 27,000 MRAPs of which 10,000 were produced in the first year.

Hossam Ibrahim, a researcher specialising in US affairs, says both Cairo and
Washington “are moving to strengthen partnership and cooperation in the
fight against terrorism.”

“Washington wants Egypt to achieve real success against the extremist
organisations in the Sinai. There is a trend in strategic and security
thinking in the US that believes that, while Cairo has a clear vision and is
determined and serious in its fight against terrorism, it tends to handle
the campaign against terrorist organisations in the framework of
conventional warfare.”

Fixed roadblocks, checkpoints and similar measures are manifestations of
this conventional approach, which is no longer appropriate given the
“qualitative shift in the direction of unconventional security threats.” The
MRAP, said Ibrahim, signals a necessary move in the direction of
non-conventional means of confrontation.

So is there is a link between the armament consignments and the
restructuring of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Sinai?

Ibrahim believes it is more useful to view the deal not in terms of a
military purchase by Egypt but in terms of what it means in the framework of
the fight against terrorism in which Washington is keen to see major
progress.

“It should be viewed as part of the process of military cooperation between
the two countries which is itself a facet of the political evolution of
Egyptian-US relations in the post-30 June Revolution period.”

A senior military official told Al-Ahram Weekly that the Ministry of Defence
had earlier explored the acquisition of advanced mine detection equipment
from countries that cooperate militarily with Egypt but was unable to find
what it was looking for. Most terrorist operations in Sinai use roadside
mines, IEDs and other such explosives. Such attacks have become a major
threat to military personnel and equipment, and the army was eager to
acquire the best possible protection.

Military experts view military cooperation between Cairo and Washington
independently from political relations, which have had their ups and downs
in recent years. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and political and military
leaders from both sides have all described the two countries’ military
relations as “strategic.”


*This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

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