President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Tuesday, reviewed the capabilities of state institutions to respond to crises and disasters, during the inauguration of Egypt’s Strategic Command HQ in the New Capital.
The event was attended by Speaker of the House of Representatives Hesham Badawy, Senate Speaker Essam Eddin Farid, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Khalifa, senior military commanders, ministers and other top state officials.
President Sisi was received at the Egyptian Military Academy, which hosts the Strategic Command headquarters, with a guard of honour and the national anthem, Presidency Spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy said.
The ceremony began with a recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran, followed by an address by Prime Minister Madbouli. It also featured a parade of specialised equipment designed to respond to a wide range of emergencies, including terrorist attacks, pandemics, natural and industrial disasters, as well as search-and-rescue and medical evacuation operations.
Addressing the event, President Sisi paid tribute to Egypt’s state institutions and described the inauguration of the Strategic Command as a major step towards consolidating the management and co-ordination of state agencies and governorates during times of crisis.
Similar systems are in place in many countries to ensure the effective protection of citizens during emergencies, President Sisi said, adding that Egypt must continue to develop its capabilities and preparedness.
Egypt already possesses solid civil protection capabilities, but it is essential to organise these resources within a unified framework capable of providing robust support in the event of any crisis or disaster, President Sisi said.
The equipment displayed represented only a small part of the country’s overall capabilities, the president said, stressing that the role of the state extends far beyond providing day-to-day public services.
This event aims to familiarise citizens with the state’s preparedness and highlighted the importance of conducting crisis simulations to test response mechanisms. Effective crisis management, he said, depends on continuous training, the availability of reliable equipment and the readiness of personnel, the president noted.
He called for nationwide emergency simulation exercises to be conducted at least once or twice a year to ensure that responses to crises are well organised rather than improvised, Spokesman El-Shannawy said.
President Sisi also stressed the importance of raising public awareness through schools, universities, mosques, churches and other community institutions to help minimise the impact of emergencies.
The president further underlined the need for state institutions to anticipate potential crises in advance and reiterated the importance of informing citizens about the government’s efforts in this field, noting that both state institutions and the media have a responsibility to promote public awareness.
Concluding his remarks, President Sisi thanked Prime Minister Madbouli, the Cabinet and the Armed Forces for their efforts in organising the event and communicating the state’s crisis management capabilities to the public.
According to the Presidency Spokesman, the second part of the programme featured a tour of the State Defence Co-ordination Centre, a documentary presentation on the facility and a simulated crisis management exercise led by Prime Minister Madbouli with the participation of several ministers.
