Indian Army contingent comprising 137 personnel has departed to Egypt to participate in “Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23“, a multinational tri-services joint military exercise scheduled to be conducted from 31 August to 14 September 2023 at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Hammam, Egypt.
- Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23 will be led by US CENTCOM (United States of America Central Command), and the Egyptian Army.
- This exercise will provide a unique opportunity for the Indian Army to share best practices and experiences with other armies aimed at enhancing defense cooperation.
Note:
Exercise Bright Star-23 comes after the Indian and Egyptian Armies conducted the first-ever joint exercise between the Special Forces, Ex Cyclone-I, in January 2023.
Participants:
i.In the 2023 edition, 34 countries will participate in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23 including the USA, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Qatar.
- It will be the largest-ever joint military exercise in West Asia and North Africa region.
ii.For the 1st time, Indian Armed Forces are participating in Exercise BRIGHT STAR with a total strength of 549 personnel.
- The Indian Army is being represented by a contingent from 23 JAT Battalion.
Schedule of the Exercise:
i.The Exercise will comprise a large number of training activities focused on sharing the best practices to combat emerging unconventional threats and enhance regional partnerships amongst participating nations aimed at maintaining world peace.
ii.In addition to the various field and situational training exercises, Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23 will also include a combined arms live firing exercise based on a tactical setting.
iii.A panel discussion on contemporary topics, especially on cybersecurity, is also scheduled to be conducted for which the Indian Armed Forces are the lead force.
Background:
i.BRIGHT STAR was initially conceptualized as a bilateral biennial training exercise between the US and Egypt during the Camp David Accord of 1977.
ii.The 1st edition of the Exercise occurred in 1980 in Egypt. Starting in 1995, participation in the exercise was expanded to other nations.
iii.The previous Exercise BRIGHT STAR was conducted in 2021, wherein the armed forces of 21 countries participated.
Recent Related News:
On March 29, 2023, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed three contracts worth ∼ Rs 5,400 crore for the Indian Army (IA), and Indian Navy (IN) under the Buy {Indian – IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)} to boost defense capabilities of India.
About Egypt:
Prime Minister– Mostafa Madbouly
Capital– Cairo
Currency– Egyptian Pound (EGP)
