News Analysis: Security threats, foreign ties behind Egypt's diversified arm deals

After four years of turbulence in Egypt, the North African country has adopted new strategy to diversify its weaponry sources and eventually create more flexible ties with new international factors.

According to experts, after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to office, Egypt has planned over the past year to strengthen its "defensive strategy," while attempting to maintain its regional role.

Since President al-Sisi took office, there has been a tendency to rebuild Egypt, its armed forces in particular, because Egypt has seen external and internal hostilities at different fronts, military expert Zakarya Hussein said.

"For the first time, Egypt faces real threats on three borders at the same time," Hussein, a former officer of Nasr Military Academy, told Xinhua.

Egypt's northeastern border witnesses tensions with Hamas movement, in addition to security vacuum on the western border due to chaos in Libya and the weapons smuggling, and the southern line with Sudan, the expert explained.

On Friday, the U.S. has delivered five M1A1 Abrams tank kits to Egypt, and another 14 units will be released in August.

"The delivery of the turrets will allow over 2,000 Egyptian citizens to work at the production plant, as well as provide the armed forces with additional means to fight extremism in the region," said Major General Charles Hooper, the U.S. Embassy's senior defense official in Cairo.

On Thursday, the U.S. delivered eight F-16 jets to Egypt. Last month, Washington delivered two navy vessels to Cairo, doubling the country's total fleet of Fast Missile Craft to four.

Also, France has delivered three French Rafal warplanes and a multi-mission frigate on July 20, the first batch of a deal in which Egypt bought 24 jets from a French aircraft manufacturer.

Meanwhile, Egypt has signed one billion dollars deal with Russia to purchase "Antey-2500" air defense system. Additionally Egypt contracted an agreement with Germany to buy four Type-209 submarines.

The military expert attributed the internal and external tensions to the reasons for diversity of weapons sources.

Egypt sought to branch out its sources to avoid facing "locking or halting military aids or contacted deals," the expert added in reference to the U.S. restrictions on releasing 1.3 U.S. billion military aids and weapons to Egypt.

"Egypt adopted diversifying weapons sources, and signed deals with France and Russia, not to fall under the U.S guillotine," he added.

To regain its regional prestige, Egypt has also been involved in the Arab alliance on fighting Houthis in Yemen, and provided Libya with logistic and training assistance.

On Aug. 1, Cairo has extended military operations in Yemen by six months in support of the Saudi-led coalition.

According to Zakarya, Egypt seeks to achieve military balance in the region, as it adopts defense strategy attempts to meet some Gulf needs due to regional threats.

Moreover, Ekram Badr al-Din, head of the political science department at Cairo University, says "the diversity of weapons deals is a condition for prompting national security and restoring Egypt's pioneering role in region."

He told Xinhua that "due to its geographic position: long borders, overlooking two seas, and rugged terrain in several sites, Egypt has been subject for threats."

Before the Jan. 25 revolution which removed long time ruler Hosni Mubarak, "Egypt tightened its world within U.S. and the West cycle," Badr al-Din said, adding that currently Egypt is more oriented to the east especially Russia and China.

Badr al-Din agreed with the military expert, saying that "depending for long decades on the U.S. in arming has put Cairo under pressure from Washington."

Egypt was in dire need to get out of the west garment to gain more flexibility in its foreign affairs, and building strong ties with new world players, the political expert said. Endit