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https://redseabeacon.com/eritrea-a-stra ... l-history/
by Ezra Musa

Few nations of Eritrea’s size have so profoundly shaped the trajectory of global events. At critical junctures: World War II, the Cold War, and the Space Race, Eritrea’s unique geography, resources, and established infrastructure turned it into a decisive pivot point in modern history. As the United States reopens channels of dialogue with Asmara, recalling this history underscores not only the profound benefits of past cooperation but also the enduring strategic value of a partnership with a nation that has repeatedly tipped the scales in global struggles.

WWII: The Turning Point in East Africa
In 1941, Eritrea became the stage for one of the most consequential Allied victories of the Second World War: the Battle of Keren. The Royal Air Force (RAF) and British ground forces, utilizing crucial Eritrean airfields and ports, effectively broke Italian power in East Africa. By securing Eritrea’s highlands and its Red Sea outlets, the Allies safeguarded the vital maritime lifeline connecting the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean. This was a monumental gain, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of supplies, troops, and critical resources to the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asian theater.

Arsenal of Gura: Project 19
Just south of the capital, Asmara, Eritrea hosted a massive wartime installation that greatly amplified early U.S. influence in the region: Project 19 at Gura (1941). Built in collaboration with Britain, Gura quickly became one of the largest U.S. Air Force depots outside of North America. Thousands of American personnel repaired and maintained aircraft there, planes that subsequently supported the RAF in the decisive North African Campaign against Rommel’s Afrika Korps. The logistical and air support backbone established in Eritrea was inextricably linked to the outcome of Germany’s war in North Africa, and the eventual Allied invasion of Italy.

The Enduring Economic and Strategic Value of the Red Sea
Beyond the battlefield, Eritrea’s geography is its economic and strategic destiny. Overlooking the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it commands the southern gateway of the Red Sea, through which a significant percentage of global trade and energy flows today. This location reinforces Eritrea’s irreplaceable value as a guardian of one of the world’s most critical maritime arteries.

Regional Stability: The Nexus of the Horn
Eritrea’s geographic position makes its stability synonymous with regional peace. It is a crucial buffer state and stabilizing force connecting the highly volatile dynamics of the Red Sea, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia to the wider East African system.

Ethiopia: Eritrea has capacity to be a central catalyst for both bilateral and internal stability as well as regional development.
Red Sea and Maritime Security: Eritrea’s long, unspoiled coastline and control over strategic ports gives it leverage in counterterrorism and counter-piracy efforts. Its maritime security choices directly impact the safety of global shipping lanes.
Sudan: Sharing a long border with Sudan, Eritrea’s political and security posture is a critical determinant of cross-border stability, refugee flow management, and the neutralization of hostile non-state actors operating in that complex frontier.
Somalia: Given the proximity of Somalia and its history of terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab, Eritrea has been recognized by regional leaders as a key player whose cooperation is necessary to manage and contain extremist movements in the Horn of Africa.
In essence, peace and security across the entire Horn of Africa often hinges on diplomatic and security alignments centered in Asmara.

Cold War and the Space Race: Kagnew Station
As the Second World War concluded, Eritrea’s strategic role did not diminish; it became even more central to the burgeoning Cold War rivalry. In Asmara, Washington established Kagnew Station, a vast complex that operated from the early 1950s through the 1970s.

Officially, Kagnew was a cornerstone of NASA’s Deep Space Network, connecting Eritrea directly to mankind’s greatest technological leap: the Moon landing of 1969. Its deeper significance lay with the National Security Agency (NSA), providing the U.S. with a critical, asymmetric advantage in the space race and during crises like the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

The 21st Century: The War on Terror
Eritrea’s strategic significance was swiftly reaffirmed in the post-9/11 world. As the United States launched the Global War on Terrorism, attention quickly turned to the Horn of Africa.

In March 2002, U.S. Central Command Chief General Tommy Franks visited Asmara. Later that year, in December 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld traveled to Eritrea. Rumsfeld publicly praised Eritrea’s cooperation, stating the visit highlighted that the war on terror was “global” and acknowledging that the United States could “learn much about combating terror” from Eritrea. These high-level visits underscored a critical reality: Eritrea’s geography and intelligence experience made it an indispensable partner in America’s shifting global security priorities.

Eritrea’s Voice and Agency
Eritrea, crucially, was never merely a passive geopolitical platform. At the United Nations in 1949, Sheikh Ibrahim Sultan made a powerful declaration:

“The Eritrean people do not wish to be handed from one master to another. They aspire to freedom, independence, and equality among nations.”

This public declaration underscored Eritrea’s tenacious insistence on sovereignty and self-determination, even as global powers continually leveraged its land and seas for their own strategic purposes.

A Game Changer Across Eras
Eritrea’s history demonstrates its consistent role as a global game changer:

WWII: Instrumental in the defeat of the Axis in North Africa.

Cold War: Kagnew Station furnished the U.S. with unmatched intelligence and communications reach.

Regional Stability: Its central position is key to managing security across the Red Sea, Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia, directly influencing global maritime security and regional peace.

Post-9/11: High-level visits by General Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld reaffirmed Eritrea’s immediate value as a partner in the Global War on Terrorism.

Looking Ahead
Today, as U.S. officials acknowledge a “clear desire on both sides to re-establish a productive bilateral relationship,” history serves as the essential guide. Recognizing Eritrea not as a historical footnote but as a robust, strategic partner—vital for its own stability and for the complex security of the entire region—will be essential in shaping future stability in the volatile Red Sea area and beyond. Eritrea is ready to engage with partners for development and peace.


Eritrea’s lesson is both simple and profound: Small nations at a geopolitical crossroads can—and do—shift the trajectory of great powers. To underestimate its value is to fundamentally misread the past and invite peril in the future.