"Most of the NATO states can't spare the personnel when they are deeply
involved in Afghanistan," an official said.
"The biennial training exercise will take place in Cairo and Alexandria
from Oct. 10-26, and will comprise airborne, aviation, and naval and Marine
field training exercises, along with a multinational command post
battle-tracking exercise," U.S. Central Command said.
Egyptian Army Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Demati, commander of the exercise, said
Bright Star would include night operations, deep-strike flights as well as
paratroop missions. Demati said the command center of Bright Star was
located in Cairo.
"There will be use of modern weapons and joint operations," Demati said.
Egypt, with the largest contingent, was scheduled to conduct a range of
naval operations. Demati said 18 aircraft carriers and 92 fighter-jets would
participate in the naval maneuvers.
Over the last week, soldiers from Egypt, Germany, Kuwait and Pakistan
trained in a U.S. Army facility to prepare for Bright Star. The foreign
soldiers conducted parachute jumps with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne
Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From there, the foreigners as well
as 180 U.S. soldiers left for Egypt.
Officials also cited U.S. military exercises that were scheduled during
Bright Star. One of them was identified as Juniper Cobra, an annual missile
defense exercise between Israel and the U.S. military's European Command.
The U.S. Third Army has helped organize Bright Star in cooperation with
Central Command. Major elements in the exercise would be a multi-national
paratrooper jump by 600 soldiers as well as a ship-to-shore operation with
more than 1,000 Marines.
"We expect to build upon past successes and continue to have a positive
effect on the future of international and regional military cooperation,"
Third Army Chief of Staff Col. Stephen Twitty said.
