Egypt’s Bright Star

The bilateral military exercise brings together forces to address evolving security threats

UNIPATH STAFF

Two Egyptian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons roared overhead on a reconnaissance mission to a border village. Intelligence detected a large depot of weapons and ammunition and other evidence identifying the village as a base for terrorists. This triggered a massive bilateral response from Egyptian and U.S. forces.

Naval vessels assembled near the coast, tanks rolled into position, helicopters loaded with anti-tank missiles took to the skies and paratroopers dove out of airplanes. It wasn’t long before the terrorist threat was eliminated, leaving behind smoldering targets and clouds of dust.

The impressive display of military prowess during this combined arms live-fire exercise signaled the culmination of the Bright Star 2017 military exercise. The combined bilateral U.S. Central Command field-training and command-post exercise focused on improving regional security and stability. It was held September 10-20, 2017, at the Mohammed Naguib Military Base, the largest such complex in the Middle East and Africa.

Maj. Gen. Nasser Assy, commander of the Egyptian
Armed Forces Training Authority, speaks during the senior leader seminar. EGYPTIAN ARMED FORCES

Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud Hegazy, then chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, attended the combined arms live-fire exercise demonstration and praised the professionalism and prowess of the combined forces.

“We have the will, the determination and the potential to eradicate the roots of terrorism that threaten the region and the peoples of the world,” Lt. Gen. Hegazy said. “This joint exercise carried out by our Armed Forces … sends a message to reassure the Egyptian people that their Armed Forces are capable of protecting and preserving their homeland.”

First held in 1981, Bright Star builds on the strategic security relationship between the U.S. and Egypt. The previous Bright Star exercise was in 2009 with more than 15 countries and 15,000 participants.

“We are pleased to resume this exercise between the U.S. military, the strongest army in the world, and the Egyptian Army, the oldest organized military in history, which has vast combat expertise. This will afford us the opportunity to exchange experiences in dealing with different military situations and develop combat methods to counter terrorism,” said Maj. Gen. Nasser Mohamed Assy, commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces Training Authority.

Representatives from Bahrain, Burundi, Cypress, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom observed Bright Star 2017.

“This exercise manifests the bonds of cooperation and friendship that connect our countries and armed forces, as well as emphasizing the mutual interest in the framework of countering terrorism and maintaining international peace and security,” said Egyptian Maj. Gen. Khaled Khairy, Bright Star 2017 exercise director for the Egyptian Armed Forces.

Then Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud Hegazy, center, and other senior leaders watch a live-fire exhibition. STAFF SGT. MICHAEL BATTLES/U.S. AIR FORCE

“This environment enables us to break barriers of training, communication, capabilities and work together in an appropriate environment,” Maj. Gen. Khairy said. “This exercise also helps in exchanging expertise, increasing understanding and the ability of joint cooperation, so that we will be able to work together in countering terrorism and maintaining international peace and security, to set an international example.”

Egypt’s history of strength and perseverance in the face of threats offers much opportunity for countries that work together. U.S. Maj. Gen. Jon Mott, U.S. Central Command director of exercises and training, said he looks forward to working with Egypt in the future and studying what both countries learned from the joint exercise.

“Bright Star has been the leading engagement between the United States and Egypt to collectively address the common interest we share in combating regional challenges,” Maj. Gen. Mott said. “It is through exercises like Bright Star that bring our militaries together and allow us to build trust, strengthen partnerships and enhance our capabilities.”

Events began with a five-day command-post exercise (CPX), held indoors. Egyptian and U.S. forces created a combined staff battalion and dealt with fictional crises scenarios. Maj. Gen. Khairy explained that this portion of Bright Star was critical: “Wargames such as a CPX are considered one of the best ways to train commanders on making decisions, troop leading procedures and acting through emergencies. This exercise also helps in exchanging expertise, increasing understanding and the ability of joint cooperation.”

U.S. Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, meets with Egyptian and U.S. forces.
EGYPTIAN ARMED FORCES

Sharing information from a more strategic perspective, military leaders from 14 of the observing countries, along with Egypt and the United States, took part in a daylong senior leader seminar during Bright Star.

“The senior leader seminar is an important part of the exercise because it focuses on terrorism and counterterrorism,” Maj. Gen. Assy said. “This allows us to fight terrorism with an effective strategy.”

Presentations focused on countering terrorism and disrupting improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“These two topics have shown themselves to be of utmost importance to our current fight, and we all have much to share and much to learn from one another,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Terrence McKenrick, U.S. Army Central deputy commander. “Counterterrorism and counter-IED knowledge has been gleaned from years of hard fighting, and sharing our experiences is the only way to ensure an effective response to extremist terrorists throughout the region and around the world.”

He explained that terrorist organizations succeed by exploiting divisions in politics and geography to attract new recruits.

“We must infiltrate these seams by sharing information on tactics, techniques and procedures, by planning, by rehearsing and executing operations together. This Bright Star exercise is our opportunity to do these things. The importance of Bright Star to our relationship cannot be overstated,” Maj. Gen. McKenrick told leaders at the seminar.

These sentiments were echoed by Maj. Gen. Assy: “Bright Star exercises help in exchanging expertise, increasing understanding and the ability of joint cooperation, so that we will be able to work together in countering terrorism and maintaining international peace and security.”


Leadership View

UNIPATH STAFF

Learning from the unique perspectives of military leaders is one of the many benefits of participating in bilateral and multilateral military exercises. During Bright Star 2017, Unipath interviewed Egyptian Maj. Gen. Ali Adel Ashmawy, commander of Egypt’s Northern Military Zone. Here is a condensed version of his sentiments regarding the exercise and the importance of military partnerships.

Unipath: We congratulate you on the great success of Bright Star. What did you think about the events in 2017?

Maj. Gen. Ali Adel Ashmawy: First, I just want to point out a brief history of the Bright Star exercises. Bright Star exercises have been the leading engagement between the U.S. and Egyptian armed forces. They both have agreed to exchange leadership and training experiences and agreed to joint training between the two forces. The Bright Star exercise began in 1981 between the United States and Egypt and continued till 2009. The maneuvers were conducted every two years, but were suspended once in 2003 because of the Iraq War, and a second time in 2011 after the January 25 revolution. The resumption of the Bright Star exercises after its six-year suspension is where we are today. We hope the Bright Star exercise will continue on a regular basis through the coming years.

Unipath: How does the exercise further strengthen the U.S.-Egyptian relationship?

Maj. Gen. Ashmawy: We in Egypt believe that the U.S. military is one of the largest in the world, and we also consider the Egyptian Army as one of the oldest armies in the world. We in the Armed Forces believe that the joining of these two armies brings better understanding and cooperation, and I think this conception corresponds to the United States’ vision. The Bright Star exercise has many goals, one of which is learning about each other’s capabilities and potential. When Egypt’s military doctrine is united with the United States’ military doctrine to protect security and border control of these countries, I believe this would benefit all individuals, officers and Soldiers in both armies. It also allows them to view each other’s processes, learn best practices, and more important, for us to learn about the new U.S. weapons technology while the U.S. learns about our strategies and weapons.

Unipath: Egypt has achieved much success in fighting terrorism, success acknowledged by several countries. How important is having an effective strategy against terrorism, and what can other countries learn from Egyptian’s best practices in fighting terrorism?

Maj. Gen. Ashmawy: I thank you for this question because the focus of this year’s training is to fight terrorism. Terrorism is not only a problem for Egypt or the Middle East, it’s an enemy of the whole world. Fighting terrorism is the main factor today for security stability, and it impacts the development of countries. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, president of the republic and supreme commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces, said we are waging a war on behalf of the world. His Excellency also said at the 72nd session of the United Nations General [Assembly] that terrorism has become a loathsome disease that we should fight. The fact that the U.S. and Egyptian militaries both agreed to develop a common strategy and training to fight terrorism — I think that’s a big positive step. Hopefully in the near future, all countries will join us to fight the main enemy of the whole world: “hateful terrorism,” as the supreme commander of the Armed Forces has called it.

I would like to thank you all and offer my sincere appreciation to all U.S. military members who participated in this training. Also, I would like to give my thanks, appreciation and respect to all Egyptian forces and troops, officers and Soldiers who participated in this training.

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