For the past decade Egypt has been building up its armed forces at a rapid pace, acquiring modern weapons and new technologies for sea, land and air contingencies, and engaging in joint trainings with numerous partner militaries.

These enhanced capabilities have enabled the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) to play a leading role in maintaining stability in the Middle East and North Africa, analysts say.

The Global Firepower (GFP) 2023 index ranked Egypt as a Top 15 world power, ranking it 14th out of 145 countries considered for the annual review.

Egypt has the most powerful of the Arab armies, followed by Saudi Arabia in 22nd place globally and second in the Arab world.

Since 1978, the United States has provided Egypt with more than $50 billion in military assistance, the US State Department said in April 2022.

This amounts to an average of $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt annually, according to the US Department of Defense.

Successive US administrations have justified aid to Egypt as an investment in regional stability, built primarily on long-running cooperation with the Egyptian military, according to a report published in May by the Congressional Research Service.

Egyptian military 'awakening'

Over the past decade, the EAF appears to be undergoing significant capacity upgrades, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pushing for overhauls of Egypt's military doctrine, its weapons procurement and its interoperability with allied forces, according to a 2019 Carnegie Middle East Center report.

"The EAF has been a slumbering giant since the late 1970s but appears to be awakening," wrote Robert Springborg and F.C. "Pink" Williams for Carnegie.

Egypt, which controls the Suez Canal and plays a vital role in securing commercial shipping and maritime navigation in regional waters, has significant naval forces in both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

At a time of heightened regional tensions due to the Iran-backed Houthis' attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Egypt's improved naval power helps maintain stability in the Middle East and secure global trade routes.

As part of recent steps to boost its naval power, Egypt inaugurated the Berenice Military Base on the Red Sea coast near Aswan in January 2020.

The land, naval and air base is the largest in Africa, and can accommodate huge vessels and aircraft carriers, military and passenger planes, and commercial vessels.

Al-Sisi also inaugurated the Mohammed Naguib Base west of Alexandria in July 2017. It has been heavily used in military exercises since its opening.

Intensifying military drills

In recent years, Egypt has "restored the capabilities of the Egyptian army in all its sectors without exception, and furnished it with modern weapons and new technologies at sea, land and air," military analyst Wael Abdul Muttalib said.

Egypt has held military exercises with world powers "to enhance the capabilities of the Egyptian soldier," he added.

In 2021, the Egyptian military conducted 41 joint drills, 29 of which took place within national borders, the State Information Service reported in January 2022.

Egypt hosted five maritime drills with the US military in the Red Sea, along with a single special-ops anti-terrorism exercise, according to an infographic published by Egyptian military spokesman Gharib Hafez.

Egypt also hosts Operation Bright Star, the largest set of multinational army maneuvers in the Middle East, which began in 1981 between Egypt and the United States.

In the most recent iteration, held August 31 to September 14, Egypt and the United States were joined by militaries from 32 other countries.

Bright Star builds on the strategic security relationship between Egypt and the United States, which plays a leading role in regional security and efforts to combat the spread of extremism.

The exercises have helped Egyptian and US forces prepare for a range of security and terrorism challenges, said security affairs analyst Brig. Gen. (ret.) Khaled Okasha.

In every iteration of the military exercises, the latest technological advances are tested and assessed for their suitability for various combat situations, he said.

In March, the EAF and US forces concluded a joint military exercise in Egypt, "SOF02", involving units from the Egyptian paratroopers, thunderbolt forces, naval special forces and US special forces, Egypt's military said.

Security forces received training on storming a terrorist hotspot within a residential area, freeing hostages, arresting terrorist elements and taking measures to confront improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Egyptian navy and navy special forces personnel also took part in the joint international maritime exercise Cutlass Express (IMX/CE23) in Bahrain and Jordan between February 26 and March 17.

The training highlighted the value of international co-operation in maintaining maritime security and protecting global trade routes, the Egyptian military said.

Around 7,000 personnel from 50 countries participated in the drill, including the United States, Ahram Online reported, with Egypt taking over the naval command and control center during the portion of the exercise held in Bahrain.

"Increasing the number of drills and diversifying them... not only benefits Egypt but also its Middle East allies," Mohamed al-Kenany, defense analyst at the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies, told Defense News in November 2020.

"If Egypt is needed in a naval confrontation between Iran and its neighbors, the Egyptian navy will not hesitate to assist its allies against Tehran," he said.

Egyptian role 'pivotal'

The EAF has about 917,500 personnel, of which 438,500 are active duty, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies Military Balance of 2022.

Thousands have trained with US troops and "undergo the same human rights training" as the US military, wrote Graeme Bannerman in 2011 for the Middle East Institute.

Egypt operates US armored vehicles and flies US aircraft. These capabilities make it "a crucial strike force in the region in responding to any security incidents that may occur in hot spots," Egyptian military analyst Abdel Karim Ahmed said.

Combined with outstanding diplomatic capabilities and the use of soft power, Egypt has been able to defuse conflicts in Gaza, Libya, Lebanon and Syria, he added.

The Egyptian role has become pivotal "with the Egyptian army's capabilities returning to what they were decades ago... especially through regional and international alliances with major players, particularly the United States," said Ahmed.

Washington sees Cairo as a valuable partner in counterterrorism, combating drug-trafficking and regional security operations, which collectively enhance the region's overall safety.