21 countries participate in Operation Bright Star drills in Egypt

Operation Bright Star is the largest set of multinational army maneuvers in the Middle East, which began in 1981 between Egypt and the US. (Wikimedia Commons/US Military)

• The exercises are usually held in Egypt every two years, but were postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic

CAIRO: The Egyptian Armed Forces announced the start of Operation Bright Star 2021 on Thursday.

According to a video published by Egyptian army spokesman, Col. Arkan Harb Gharib Abdel Hafez, the joint drills are taking place with the participation of 21 other countries from Sept. 2-17.

Operation Bright Star is the largest set of multinational army maneuvers in the Middle East, which began in 1981 between Egypt and the US, before a large number of countries joined them, reaching 21 this year.

The exercises are usually held in Egypt every two years, but were postponed last year due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.

The most important characteristic of these exercises is the participation of the various branches of the naval and air defense forces, as well as infantry, armored vehicles, electronic warfare and others.

Bright Star’s exercises achieve several goals, the most important of which are access to the latest weaponry and learning how to handle it, in addition to exchanging expertise in various fields, and fighting and coexisting alongside new elements.