Exercise Operation Bright Star '80\'81\'82\'83\'85\'87

Egyptian Il-28 Beagle — A right front view of an Egyptian (Soviet-built) Il-28U Beagle conversion trainer aircraft in Exercise Bright Star '81.

Connels were showen weapons — A high ranking Sudanese officer, left, and two Army colonels examine German built 7.62 mm G3 Heckler and Koch rifles on display during BRIGHT STAR '82.

Jets over pyramids — An air-to-air left side view of U.S. and Egyptian aircraft over the Pyramids during Exercise Bright Star '83.

Somali soldier 1983 — A Somali soldier poses for a photograph during the multinational joint service Exercise BRIGHT STAR '85.

Exercise[]

It was an biennial/annual event, created in 1980. It was scrapped in 2013 in protest at the toppling of the democratically elected, but politically failing American/EU proxi-leader, Mohamed Morsi, by the Egyptian military in early 2013.

Origins[]

These exercises began in 1980, rooted in the Camp David Accords. The US and Egypt were. They are designed to strengthen ties between the Egyptian and the United States Central Command. It was also demonstrate and enhance the ability of the Americans to reinforce their allies in the Middle East in the event of war. It would involve some ships and aircraft with events centered at the large Cairo West Air Base. It involved coalition interoperability training to teach nations how to operate with one another in a wartime environment followed by a Command Post Exercise designed to help standardize command and control procedures and finally large-scale Field Training Exercise to do both of the aforementioned together in a pseudo-combat situation.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '80[]

Egypt and the USA were involved.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '81[]

Egypt and the USA were involved.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '82[]

Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Oman and the USA were involved.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '83[]

Egypt, the USA and Somalia were involved.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '85[]

Egypt and the USA were involved.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '87[]

Egypt and the USA were involved. UK observers turned up.

Further developments[]

Bright Star 95, 97 ,98 ,2000, 02, 04, 06, 08, 10, 12 and 14 continued after the Cold War was over.

In the regionally uncertain period following the liberation of Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm), other nations became interested in it and it grew during the mid to late 1990s to included up to 11 countries and 70,000 personnel.The new entrants reguly included: The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Nearly 60,000 troops took part in Bright Star 95, which included the first of the newcomers.

The largest Bright Star' 99, involving 11 nations and 70,000 active service personnel. Military observers had also come from: 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, and Zimbabwe.

Pakistan joined the crowd in Bright Star 2012.

Some in US were feeling by ~2010 it was a ruined event that was by this time becoming a desert climate cross between Exercise Reforger, Desert Storm, a Christian Crusade in the Middle East, an Islamic Jihad to save the Middle East, the Arab League and the African Union; not a US/Egyptian +UK, the Sudan, Somalia and Oman at times military exercise.

The USA canceled it in 2015, but it was revived as a old style Egypt\USA military event in 2017.

Key participants[]

The USA and Egypt + the UK, the Sudan, Somalia and Oman at times.

Exercise Operation Bright Star '80\'81\'82\'83\'85\'87

Contents

Exercise[]

Origins[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '80[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '81[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '82[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '83[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '85[]

Exercise Operation Bright Star '87[]

Further developments[]

Key participants[]

Links[]