Exercise Bright Star is a series of biennial combined and jointmilitary exercises led by theUnited States andEgypt. The exercises began in 1980, rooted in the 1977Camp David Accords. After its signing, theUnited States Armed Forces and theEgyptian Armed Forces agreed to conduct training together in Egypt.[1]
Bright Star is designed to strengthen ties between the Egyptian Armed Forces and theUnited States Central Command and demonstrate and enhance the ability of the Americans to reinforce their allies in theMiddle East in the event ofwar. These deployments are usually centered at the largeCairo West Air Base. Since theGulf War, the end ofNATO'sCold War-eraReforger exercises, and thewars in Iraqand Afghanistan, Bright Star exercises have grown larger and have included as many as 11 countries and 70,000 personnel. Other allied nations joining Bright Star exercises in Egypt include theUnited Kingdom,France,Germany,Italy,Greece, theNetherlands,Jordan,Kuwait, theUnited Arab Emirates, and formerly theSomali Democratic Republic.
The exercise begins with coalition interoperability training to teach nations how to operate with one another in a wartime environment, then continues with a Command Post Exercise designed to help standardize command and control procedures, and then a large-scale Field Training Exercise to practice everything together.
The first exercise, Bright Star 81, was conducted from October to December 1980 (fiscal year 1981). TheU.S. Army's rapid-deployment unit (Task Force "Strike", 1st Battalion,502nd Infantry Regiment) of the101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) andU.S. Air Force (USAF) personnel were deployed toCairo West Air Base in Egypt for the exercise. This operation was the first deployment of combat soldiers into the region sinceWorld War II. Bright Star 81 was initiated by theCarter administration in response to theIran hostage crisis and theSoviet–Afghan War. However, U.S. forces proved to be unprepared for the exercise: soldiers were issued jungle fatigues in lieu of desert camouflage (which was not in the U.S. Army inventory in 1980), and hastily establishedair traffic control systems caused the loss of 14 USAF personnel when aC-141 Starlifter crashed during a night approach. Post-operation briefings affected positive change for future readiness and successful exercises thereafter.
The following year, a similar exercise was held using the same ground rules.USS Coral Sea (CV-43) took part in Bright Star 82. Exercise Eastern Wind 83 was the amphibious portion of Bright Star 83 to be carried out in Somalia. TheLos Angeles Times reported that theSomali Armed Forces did not perform up to standard.[2] The United States conducted numerous military maneuvers throughout the 1980s with the Somalis Armed Forces, such as the 1987 Bright Star exercises in which U.S. soldiers of the 3rd Army carried out the maneuvers around the port ofBerbera and at a base 100 km south-west of Mogadishu.[3]
TheSudanese Armed Forces participated in the exercise in 1981 and 1983.[4]
By 1983, the size of the forces involved prompted planners to hold the event every two years rather than annually. The exercise went under further evolution in 1985 with the inclusion of the USAF andEgyptian Air Force. The two nations' respectivenavies andspecial forces joined the exercise in 1987.
TheAssociated Press, in a story dated August 4, 1985, said that U.S. forces would begin their largest-ever exercise in the Middle East that day. Egypt, Somalia, Jordan, and Oman were reported as participating.[5]
Egypt's Information Ministry confirmed that Bright Star began in Egypt on schedule with activation of command centers and some movement of troops into maneuver areas.A Pentagon spokesman in Washington said about 9,000 Americans would take part in the weeklong Egyptian phase, the main part of the exercise. The spokesman said an unspecified smaller number of American soldiers would take part in Somalia and about 520 would join in the Jordanian portion. Pentagon sources in Washington said a smaller number of Americans would also train in Oman.
After the 1989 event, the exercise was moved from the summer to the fall.
In the Autumn of 1995, nearly 60,000 troops took part in the revived Bright Star Exercise, which included nations other than Egypt and the United States for the first time.
During the 1997 exercise, theU.S. Air Force encountered a fuel shortage. Their Egyptian counterparts demonstrated an ability to blendJet A-1 fuel with additives to produce theJP-8 required by U.S. aircraft.
The 1998 event focused onnaval andamphibious warfare. It included theUSSGeorge Washington,USSJohn F. KennedyBattle Groups and theGuamAmphibious Ready Group.
The largest Bright Star exercise took place in October and November 1999, involving 11 nations and 70,000 personnel. An additional 33 nations sent observers to monitor the exercise:Algeria,Australia,Bahrain,Belgium,Burundi,Canada,China,Congo,Greece,India,Kazakhstan,Kenya,Kyrgyzstan,Morocco,Nigeria,Oman,Pakistan,Poland,Qatar,Romania,Russia,Rwanda,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Spain,Syria,Tanzania,Tunisia,Turkey,Uganda,Ukraine,Uzbekistan,Yemen, andZimbabwe.
The exercise scenario involved a fictional hostile nation named "Orangeland" invading Egypt and trying to take control of theNile River. The exercise coalition worked together, practicing fighting in the air, land, and sea domains, to defend the Nile and expel Orangeland.
A key piece of the training was a six-nation amphibious assault led by theRoyal Navy.
Despite theSeptember 11 attacks, the U.S. sent 23,000 troops to participate in Bright Star in October and November 2001. Elements of the1st Infantry Division and3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment joined coalition partners to continue strengthening U.S.-Arab ties.
Forces from Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Spain and the United Kingdom participated in the event.
It was the first time in the history of the United States that a military exercise was executed underForce Protection Condition 'Delta'.
Quartermaster Professional Bulletin Spring 2002 gives detail about the efforts of the 559th Quartermaster Battalion to support Bright Star 01.
TheNational Command Authorities deemed this exercise so important that it continued the operation which began just days before terrorists struck targets on American soil on September 11, 2001.
Planning for the USAF portion of Operation Bright Star 2001 started months earlier atShaw Air Force Base at the United States Air Force Central Command (CENTAF) headquarters. While Operation Bright Star was a military exercise, the security issues surrounding the exercise were very real. With much of the exercise planned for taking place in Cairo and other Egyptian locations, security considerations involved addressing terrorist activity in that region of the world. Since the very nature of the exercise was the US-led coalition of nations acting to protect the middle east and the free flow of oil to the rest of the world, potential targeting of this activity by terrorist was a major concern. The USAF called upon its newly formedForce Protection unit to oversee both the planning and execution of security for the Air Force portion of Bright Star. Following the 1996 terroristbombing of Khobar Towers, targeting, and killing US military personnel housed in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, the Air Force had formed a dedicated force protection unit, the 820th Security Forces Group, capable of global deployment and containing dedicated specialties crucial to force protection under one commander. In August 2000, LtCol John Hursey, then Deputy Commander for the 820th was assigned to the CENTAF-led planning staff. It was also planned that Hursey would command the 820th staff and resources deployed in support of Bright Star. This included a large contingent of active duty and reserve US Air Force personnel in the Cairo area as well as a joint USAF andUSMC unit at a remote Egyptian base housing deployed USAF and USMC fighter aircraft. During previous Bright Star exercises, critical deployed US military units were generally housed in military compounds, protected by U.S., Egyptian, and coalition forces. However, the initial planning for this Bright Star was considering housing all US participants in hotels rather than military compounds.
Following the October 2000terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen's Aden Harbor, USAF Bright Star planners abandoned the plans for housing all participants in hotels and opted for the traditional joint US-Egyptian protected military compounds. The 820th Security Forces Group-led security for Bright Star, involved significant perimeter security, electronic surveillance, and a large contingent of US and Egyptian forces. While the exercise was not set to begin until late September 2001, there was a significant presence of US, Egyptian, and other coalition forces preparing for the upcoming exercise at the time of the September 11th terrorist attacks. While still in the advance stages of preparation, Hursey and USAF Bright Star Commander Col Dodson <additional info needed> watched on live TV the as second tower was stuck by an aircraft. Upon Hursey's recommendation and coordination with US Military andState Department staff, Dodson declaredTHREATCON DELTA for the USAF Bright Star Operations in Egypt. Fortunately, advance planning for Bright Star by US, Egyptian, and coalition forces included worst case scenarios of operating in high threat environments so that personnel, resources, and procedures could be quickly amassed to provide adequate protection in these advanced threat conditions.
The U.S. did not participate in the exercise scheduled for Fall 2003 due to high military commitments in theAfghanistan War and theIraq War.
Bright Star 06 began on September 10, 2005, and ended October 3, 2005. ThePennsylvania Army National Guard’s28th Infantry Division (Mechanized) was put in charge of the field training exercise. Units participating included 28th ID’s104th Cavalry Regiment, Marines from the13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, mechanized infantry from Jordan, and a tank company from Egypt. In addition,11 Airmobile Infantry BattalionGarderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers of theRoyal Netherlands Army deployed to Egypt for the exercise.[6] Also among the many military units was the 256thCombat Support Hospital which is anArmy Reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio and the 140th Quartermaster unit from Fort Totten, NY. The 256th CSH served in support of the many jump operations that were conducted. The Aviation Task Force was led by the Wisconsin and IowaArmy National Guard's 1-147th Command Aviation Battalion supported byMEDEVAC units from California and Wyoming.CH-47 Chinooks were provided by the Connecticut Army National Guard
Among the U.S. participants for Bright Star 08 were the42nd Infantry Division of theNew York Army National Guard, the onlyU.S. National Guard division headquarters to have deployed to Iraq at that time, and the48th Brigade Special Troops Battalion of theGeorgia Army National Guard.
Bright Star 10 took place in October 2009 which included a strategic airborne jump of more than 300 Soldiers from the82nd Airborne Division partnering with Egyptian, German, Kuwaiti, and Pakistani paratroopers, while more than 1,000 Marines from the22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit rolled ontoEl Alamein Beach by amphibious landing with their Bright Star counterparts.[7]
Also more non-traditional training took place during the operation and included a combined computer aided command post exercise introducing partnering soldiers to each other's equipment and updated tactics, thereby developing a better coalition contingency environment.[7]
Bright Star 12 was postponed due to theEgyptian Revolution of 2011.[8]
Bright Star 14, which should have taken place in September 2013, was cancelled by U.S. presidentBarack Obama after Egyptian police raided two large encampments by supporters of ousted presidentMohamed Morsi in Cairo to forcibly disperse them, after six weeks of unauthorized sit-in.[8]
Bright Star 17 took place in WesternAlexandria'sMohammed Naguib Military Base[1][9][10][11][12][13] from September 10 to September 20, 2017.
Bright Star 18 was conducted between September 8 and September 20 in WesternAlexandria'sMohammed Naguib Military Base, with forces fromGreece,Jordan,Italy,France,Saudi Arabia, theUnited Kingdom and theUnited Arab Emirates, as well as observers from 16 other nations.[14][15][16]
Bright Star 21 took place atMohammed Naguib Military Base inMarsa Matruh from September 2 to September 16, 2021. Military groups from the following nations joined the U.S. and Egypt in Bright Star 2021: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, Kuwait, UAE, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Pakistan. The exercise was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17][18]
The next bright star exercise was hosted in 2023, as confirmed by the Egyptian embassy in Washington D.C.[19]The exercise was taken place from August 27 to September 16, 2023, at Cairo (West) Air Base in Egypt. The Indian Air Force took part in Ex Bright Star 23 for the first time along with contingents from the US, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Qatar.[20]
The 2025 edition of the exercise scheduled from 28 August to 10 September 2025 is being hosted and co-hosted by theUnited States Central Command and Egypt, respectively, at theMohamed Naguib Military Base.[21] Along with United States and Egypt, forces from multiple nations including India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Greece, Cyprus and Italy will also participate in the exercise. The edition will see the participation of 700 personnel representing theIndian Armed Forces and theIntegrated Defence Staff.[22][23] On 1 September,INS Trikand (F51) called at thePort of Alexandria, Egypt for the exercise. The ship was operationally deployed by theIndian Navy to theMediterranean Sea.[24][25] Meanwhile, theIndian Air Force deployed five of itsSukhoi Su-30MKI and aC-17 Globemaster for the exercise.[26][27]
U.S. military forces will join the Egyptian armed forces for Exercise Bright Star 2018 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, Egypt, Sept. 8 - 20 [, 2018]. Approximately 800 U.S. military service will participate in this exercise for the second year in a row. The focus this year will be on regional security and cooperation, and promoting interoperability in irregular warfare scenarios.
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