Ras Banas has a detailed military history. It served as a Soviet military base until they moved out. The Soviets were allowed to construct the base following the 1964 USSR-United Arab Republic (Egypt) fishing agreement. The Soviets commenced the construction of the base in 1970, becoming their first base in Egypt, although the construction of the base was kept secret until 1972 when an Israeli newspaper published details of the base. The Egyptian government continued to try to cover up the base by alleging that a new port was being constructed at Berenice with a road being constructed from there to Aswan, although through treacherously difficult terrain. This new road would allow produce from the area to travel to Aswan and also allow for pilgrims to travel from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. These claims by the Egyptian government were later proven incorrect following international investigation. In July 1972, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, seeking to establish good relations with the United States, ordered the Soviets to leave.
In February 1979, Anwar El Sadat encouraged Harold Brown, the United States Secretary of Defense of the time, to consider using the peninsula as a US naval and air facility. Initially, the United States showed no interest in the site however the offer became increasingly attractive. To obtain a congressional appropriation for rehabilitating the military facilities on Ras Banas, the US required a written agreement from Egypt allowing the US to use the facilities. Sadat was reluctant to give his written agreement and insisted that his oral commitment would be appropriate. However, on his last visit to Washington, D.C., in 1981, he signed a letter allowing the US to use Ras Banas. The location of Ras Banas allowed it to potentially serve as a staging area for Persian Gulf operations and for other Middle Eastern and North African contingencies.
The initial plans produced by The Pentagon included making it a facility for CENTCOM troops
