The largest military exercises in Egypt
Egypt-International, Politics, 10/14/1999

Tens of US, British and French warships have headed to Egypt to take part in the military exercises which will be held in the Egypt's western Sahara, in consolidation of the world's ability to repulse conflicts such as those that took place in Kosovo and East Timor.

The British minister of state for defense affairs said that the "Bright Star" maneuvers are "a golden chance to test a joint force on an unprecedented large scale."

Such maneuvers were launched in 1981 in joint training between Egypt and the US. This joint training has been expanded to become, according to its organizers, the largest military maneuvers in the world.

In this year's maneuvers some 63,000 soldiers are taking place in the sea and in the desert, to the east of Alexandria on the Egyptian northern coast. The maneuvers take place on October 13 through November 1.

Egypt is taking part with 36,000 soldiers, the US with 18,000 troops, Britain with 6,500 soldiers, 20 warships and 14 planes. For the first time Germany, the Netherlands, Greece and Jordan are taking part in the maneuvers.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command describes Bright Star operations as having been developed shortly after Egypt¹s signing of the 1979 Camp David Peace Accord, members of the United States Armed Forces began to train side by side with their Egyptian military counterparts in the Egyptian desert. This small unit training evolved into an annual exercise known as Bright Star. Bright Star was first conducted in the summer of 1980 as a single service bilateral ground maneuver event. In other words, only ground forces of the U.S. and Egyptian armies initially participated in the training. Bright Star in 1981 was a similar bilateral ground maneuver event, although the number of participating troops was larger.

Due to the logistics involved in putting on what was quickly becoming a large exercise, it was decided that Bright Star would become a biennial event starting in 1983. However, it remained only a bilateral ground forces event. Bright Star 1983 also marked the beginning of the newly formed United States Central Command as the U.S. command directly responsible for carrying out the Bright Star exercises.

The limitation of ground forces was changed in 1985 when air forces of both the U.S. and Egypt were added to the exercise. This marked the beginning of Bright Star as a joint endeavor ­ meaning more than one U.S. service was involved. Special forces and naval forces of both countries joined the exercise in 1987. It was decided, starting with Bright Star 1989, the exercise would be held during the fall months instead of the summer.

All this really did was move the designated time frame of Bright Star to even numbered fiscal years. The fall of 1991 found U.S. forces still committed to the Arabian Gulf Region following the Gulf War, and Bright Star 92 was cancelled. The exercise resumed biennially during the 1994 fiscal year and Bright Star 94 went off larger and better than ever. Bright Star 96 marked the beginning of countries other than the U.S. and Egypt participating in the exercise, adding the NATO nations France, United Kingdom, and Germany, and the United Arab Emirates from the Gulf. Bright Star 98 included these same countries and added Kuwait as the seventh participating nation. From a small unit training event to one of the largest exercises involving U.S. troops anywhere in the world, Bright Star has a commendable history of success.
This year¹s Bright Star - the eleventh in the series - is the most significant yet, and will set the baseline for even more ambitious coalition operations in the future.

The coalition has increased with the addition of the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, and Jordan. Bright Star 2000 will involve the armed forces of 11 nations and over 50,000 troops. Also, the Egyptians have agreed this year to add a computer-aided command post exercise to work the various staffs on the operational level of war as a lead-in event to the tactically oriented field training exercise.

Bringing together a coalition of military forces to build better understanding, friendship and cooperation, the Bright Star exercise strengthens the professional military relationships between the U.S. and all participating forces through realistic training. It also provides participants with an increased awareness and appreciation for the cultures and customs of other nations. It is easy to understand based on its short history, why Bright Star has become a cornerstone of U.S. commitment to our friends of the Central Region.

Previous Stories:
  Egyptian - British military talks   (10/13/1999)
  Mubarak to visit Europe next week   (2/19/1999)

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