U.S. Warship Pays First Visit to Egyptian Naval Base

The U.S. Navy’s guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) visited Egypt’s Berenice Naval Base, August 12, marking the first time a U.S. warship has pulled into the Red Sea base, which officially opened in January 2020.

During the visit the ship hosted Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF); Vice Adm. Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, commander of the Egyptian Naval Force; U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Jonathan R. Cohen; and Commodore Waleed Aly Atiaa, commanding officer of Berenice Naval Base.

In April, Egypt became the 34th member of CMF, an enduring multinational coalition formed in 2002 and committed to upholding the rules-based international order by countering illicit non-state actors, safeguarding freedom of navigation, and promoting security, stability, and prosperity.