Cairo - The Indian Embassy in Egypt announced that the Indian contingent, consisting of 550 personnel, is among the largest Indian deployments for an overseas exercise. The embassy shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, 'Indian Army and IAF contingent with Integrated Combat troops arrived in Alexandria on Aug 29, 2023 for #ExBrightStar 23. The opening ceremony was held on August 31. The overall Indian contingent of 550 personnel is among the largest Indian deployments for an overseas Exercise.'
On August 29, the Indian Army contingent, comprising 137 personnel, departed for Exercise Bright Star-23, as stated in an earlier press release by the Ministry of Defence. The Indian Army is represented by a contingent from 23 JAT Battalion.
The exercise, which commenced on August 31, is scheduled to conclude on September 13 at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Egypt.
Exercise Bright Star-23 is a multinational tri-services joint military exercise led by US CENTCOM and the Egyptian Army. Originally conceived as a bilateral biennial training exercise between the US and Egypt during the Camp David Accord of 1977, the first edition was conducted in Egypt in 1980. Since 1995, the exercise has expanded to include participation from other nations. In the previous iteration in 2021, Exercise Bright Star involved forces from 21 nations, according to a previous press release from the Ministry of Defence. This year, it is set to be the largest-ever joint military exercise in the Middle East and North Africa region, with 34 countries participating in Exercise Bright Star-23.
The exercise will encompass a wide range of training activities focused on addressing emerging unconventional threats and strengthening regional partnerships among participating nations to maintain global peace.
The Ministry of Defence highlighted that in addition to various field and situational training exercises, Exercise Bright Star-23 will feature a combined arms live firing exercise in a tactical setting. There is also a planned panel discussion on contemporary topics, with the Indian Armed Forces leading the discussion on Cyber Security, according to an earlier press release by the Ministry of Defence.
Exercise Bright Star-23 offers a unique opportunity for the Indian Army to exchange best practices and experiences with other armies while enhancing defense cooperation. The Ministry of Defence noted that the Indian Army looks forward to gaining valuable professional experience from the exercise."