U.S. and Egyptian military forces are currently engaged in a joint command-post exercise as part of the Bright Star 2017 training initiative. This exercise is taking place from September 10 to 20 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Egypt.
The exercise is designed to train unit commanders and their staff using simulated events, notional units, and an environment that exercises communication channels with higher headquarters and subordinate units. John Harris, U.S. Army Central Command training and exercise planner, stated, “A command-post exercise provides an environment where we can train a command and their staff in a simulated environment, which allows the U.S. military to increase their readiness.”
Throughout the five-day event, combined battalion staff from both U.S. and Egyptian service members will collaborate on scenarios involving fictional unconventional forces conducting operations against coalition forces.
Egyptian Maj. Gen. Khaled Khairy, Bright Star 2017 exercise director for the Egyptian armed forces, emphasized the importance of such training for leadership development: “Wargames such as a CPX is considered one of the best ways to train commanders on making decisions, troop leading procedures and acting through emergencies,” he said.
Bright Star aims to enhance regional security by responding to modern-day security scenarios with Egypt. Harris highlighted its significance: “The focus of Bright Star 17 is to allow the U.S. and the Egyptian soldiers to meet and work together to solve a common problem in the region.”
Harris also noted that success depends on cooperation between participating countries: “I think anyone attending Bright Star would be taken back by the amount of cooperation that occurs within the training audience.”
Bright Star was last held in 2009 with participation from over 15 countries.