[3] They are a lightly armed paramilitary force, mostly Bedouins, responsible for border surveillance, general peacekeeping, drug interdiction, and prevention of smuggling.

[citation needed] During the late 1980s, the force was equipped with remote sensors and night-vision binoculars.

[citation needed] High-speed motorboats are also in service.

[citation needed] On 27 April 2016, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated the new headquarters of the ministry in New Cairo.

The complex covers about 52,000 square metres (560,000 sq ft).