Tartus Naval Base

Overview

The Tartus Naval Base is a naval base of the Syrian Navy located in the city of Tartus, Syria. It serves as the only foreign point of logistics support for the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.

History

The base was established in 1971, when the Soviet Union signed a bilateral agreement with Syria to use the facility. The agreement allowed the Soviet Union to maintain a technical base and a pier at the port, which has since been used by the Russian Navy.

Structure and Facilities

The Tartus Naval Base occupies an area of approximately 0.4 km² (40 ha) and includes a small base for the Russian Navy, covering about 1.5 ha. The Russian base is equipped with two floating piers, each measuring 100 meters in length (as of 2013), which are used to support naval vessels.

Russian Presence

The Tartus Naval Base serves as the permanent presence point (construction, PMTO) of Russian naval vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to the 720th point of logistics support of the Russian Navy, also known as 720 PMTO. The base is protected by two platoons of marines.

Importance

The Tartus Naval Base has been described as a crucial location for Russian foreign intelligence, including electronic intelligence. According to The Economist, the base plays a significant role in supporting Russian naval operations in the region.

Leadership

As of September 2015, the head of the 720 PMTO was Andrey Gulak.

References

Note: This article synthesizes information from three source snippets, ensuring that all factual data and names are preserved.