Should Israel Be Concerned About Egypt’s Massive New ‘Octagon’ Military Command Headquarters?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi inaugurated Egypt’s new State Strategic Command Headquarters, known as the “Octagon,” on Saturday in the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo. The ceremony marked the signing of the facility’s official charter and the raising of the Armed Forces flag over what is described as one of the Middle East’s most ambitious military command centers.

The Octagon is more than just a headquarters; it is a fortified military and administrative city built on a vast scale. Covering approximately 22,000 acres, it comprises 13 strategic and logistical zones. The complex features eight interconnected octagonal outer buildings surrounding two central command structures, a design intended to symbolize the integration of Egypt’s armed forces and state institutions. By comparison, the Pentagon in the U.S. covers about 29 acres as a building, while the Octagon boasts roughly 50.5 million square feet of floor area, making it significantly larger.

Egypt presents the complex as a hub for military command, secure communications, crisis management, data exchange, and coordination among state institutions. The headquarters' opening caps years of significant military buildup, drawing renewed attention in Israel. Egyptian military capabilities have long been a source of concern for some Israeli analysts, particularly given the shared border and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Relations between Egypt and Israel have become more strained since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. While security coordination continues, the war has highlighted deep disagreements over Gaza's future and security arrangements along their shared frontier. Despite the border being one of Israel's quietest, relations are described not as a warm peace but more as a "cold war between the countries with no shots being fired."

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It is not really cold peace as Israelis like to define it, but more like a cold war between the countries with no shots being fired.