Egypt’s 22,000-acre ‘Octagon’ pips Pentagon as world’s largest defence headquarters

Egypt’s newly-inaugurated State Strategic Command headquarters, popular as “Octagon” for its octagon shape, spanning roughly 22,000 acres, has replaced US’s Pentagon (29 acres) as the world’s largest defence headquarters in the world.President Abdel Fattah El Sisi officially inaugurated State Strategic Command Headquarters in Egypt’s new administrative capital on Saturday, as he signed the founding charter and raised the armed forces flag to mark the opening of the massive military defence complex. Octagon will serve as the massive, centralised military and defence headquarters for the Egyptian armed forces.Sisi described the new command as “a towering national edifice” and said the complex marks “a significant leap” in Egypt’s command, control and operations management systems.The mega complex features eight outer octagon-shaped buildings that surround two central ministerial buildings and it has over 50.5 million square feet of floor space across multiple buildings.On other hand, the Pentagon building in Arlington County, Virginia, which was till now the largest defence HQ in the world, covers a total of 29 acres, including its five-acre central courtyard. If the surrounding Pentagon reservation and central plaza are also included, the entire complex spans 34 to 41 acres. The Octagon’s footprint is roughly 750 times larger than the Pentagon.While the Pentagon serves as the headquarters of the US Department of Defence, Octagon has been designed to centralise Egypt’s military leadership, operational planning, intelligence, secure communication and crisis management within a single command structure.Equipped with advanced technological infrastructure, secure communication systems and enhanced capabilities in information gathering and analysis, the headquarters is designed not only to manage military situations but also as a fundamental pillar in the state’s capacity to confront challenges and exceptional circumstances”, the President said during the inauguration.It was the first time in more than a decade that the Egyptian leader, a career army officer, had appeared in military uniform in public.