The exercise begins with coalition interoperability training to teach nations how to operate with one another in a wartime environment, then continues with a Command Post Exercise designed to help standardize command and control procedures, and then a large-scale Field Training Exercise to practice everything together.
The first exercise, Bright Star 81, was conducted from October to December 1980 (fiscal year 1981). The U.S. Army's rapid-deployment unit (Task Force "Strike", 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and U.S. Air Force (USAF) personnel were deployed to Cairo West Air Base in Egypt for the exercise. This operation was the first deployment of combat soldiers into the region since World War II. Bright Star 81 was initiated by the Carter administration in response to the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet–Afghan War. However, U.S. forces proved to be unprepared for the exercise: soldiers were issued jungle fatigues in lieu of desert camouflage (which was not in the U.S. Army inventory in 1980), and hastily-established air traffic control systems caused the loss of 14 USAF personnel when a C-141 Starlifter crash-landed. Post-operation briefings affected positive change for future readiness and successful exercises thereafter.
The following year, a similar exercise was held using the same ground rules. USSCoral Sea(CV-43) took part in Bright Star 82. After Exercise Eastern Wind 83, the amphibious portion of Bright Star 83, the Los Angeles Times was told that "the exercise failed dismally ... 'The Somali army did not perform up to any standard,' one diplomat said. … 'The inefficiency of the Somali armed forces is legendary among foreign military men.'"[2]
By 1983, the size of the forces involved prompted planners to hold the event every two years rather than annually. The exercise went under further evolution in 1985 with the inclusion of the USAF and Egyptian Air Force. The two nations' respective navies and special forces joined the exercise in 1987.
The Associated Press, in a story dated August 4, 1985, said that U.S. forces would begin their largest-ever exercise in the Middle East that day. Egypt, Somalia, Jordan, and Oman were reported as participating.[4]
Egypt's Information Ministry confirmed that Bright Star began in Egypt on schedule with activation of command centers and some movement of troops into maneuver areas. A Pentagon spokesman in Washington said about 9,000 Americans would take part in the weeklong Egyptian phase, the main part of the exercise. The spokesman said an unspecified smaller number of American soldiers would take part in Somalia and about 520 would join in the Jordanian portion. Pentagon sources in Washington said a smaller number of Americans would also train in Oman.
After the 1989 event, the exercise was moved from the summer to the fall.
Bright Star 95
In the Autumn of 1995, nearly 60,000 troops took part in the revived Bright Star Exercise, which included nations other than Egypt and the United States for the first time.
Bright Star 97
During the 1997 exercise, the U.S. Air Force encountered a fuel shortage. Their Egyptian counterparts demonstrated an ability to blend Jet A-1 fuel with additives to produce the JP-8 required by U.S. aircraft.
The exercise scenario involved a fictional hostile nation named "Orangeland" invading Egypt and trying to take control of the Nile River. The exercise coalition worked together, practicing fighting in the air, land, and sea domains, to defend the Nile and expel Orangeland.
A key piece of the training was a six-nation amphibious assault led by the Royal Navy.
Forces from Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Spain and the United Kingdom participated in the event.
It was the first time in the history of the United States that a military exercise was executed under Force Protection Condition 'Delta'.
Quartermaster Professional Bulletin Spring 2002 gives detail about the efforts of the 559th Quartermaster Battalion to support Bright Star 01.
The National Command Authorities deemed this exercise so important that it continued the operation which began just days before terrorists struck targets on American soil on September 11, 2001.
Planning for the USAF portion of Operation Bright Star 2001 started months earlier at Shaw Air Force Base at the United States Air Force Central Command (CENTAF) headquarters. While Operation Bright Star was a military exercise, the security issues surrounding the exercise were very real. With much of the exercise planned for taking place in Cairo and other Egyptian locations, security considerations involved addressing terrorist activity in that region of the world. Since the very nature of the exercise was the US-led coalition of nations acting to protect the middle east and the free flow of oil to the rest of the world, potential targeting of this activity by terrorist was a major concern. The USAF called upon its newly formed Force Protection unit to oversee both the planning and execution of security for the Air Force portion of Bright Star. Following the 1996 terrorist bombing of Khobar Towers, targeting, and killing US military personnel housed in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, the Air Force had formed a dedicated force protection unit, the 820th Security Forces Group, capable of global deployment and containing dedicated specialties crucial to force protection under one commander. In August 2000, LtCol John Hursey, then Deputy Commander for the 820th was assigned to the CENTAF-led planning staff. It was also planned that Hursey would command the 820th staff and resources deployed in support of Bright Star. This included a large contingent of active duty and reserve US Air Force personnel in the Cairo area as well as a joint USAF and USMC unit at a remote Egyptian base housing deployed USAF and USMC fighter aircraft. During previous Bright Star exercises, critical deployed US military units were generally housed in military compounds, protected by U.S., Egyptian, and coalition forces. However, the initial planning for this Bright Star was considering housing all US participants in hotels rather than military compounds.
Following the October 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen's Aden Harbor, USAF Bright Star planners abandoned the plans for housing all participants in hotels and opted for the traditional joint US-Egyptian protected military compounds. The 820th Security Forces Group-led security for Bright Star, involved significant perimeter security, electronic surveillance, and a large contingent of US and Egyptian forces. While the exercise was not set to begin until late September 2001, there was a significant presence of US, Egyptian, and other coalition forces preparing for the upcoming exercise at the time of the September 11th terrorist attacks. While still in the advance stages of preparation, Hursey and USAF Bright Star Commander Col Dodson <additional info needed> watched on live TV the as second tower was stuck by an aircraft. Upon Hursey's recommendation and coordination with US Military and State Department staff, Dodson declared THREATCON DELTA for the USAF Bright Star Operations in Egypt. Fortunately, advance planning for Bright Star by US, Egyptian, and coalition forces included worst case scenarios of operating in high threat environments so that personnel, resources, and procedures could be quickly amassed to provide adequate protection in these advanced threat conditions.
Bright Star 04
The U.S. did not participate in the exercise scheduled for Fall 2003 due to high military commitments in the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War.
Bright Star 06
Bright Star 06 began on September 10, 2005, and ended October 3, 2005. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized) was put in charge of the field training exercise. Units participating included 28th ID’s 104th Cavalry Regiment, Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, mechanized infantry from Jordan, and a tank company from Egypt. In addition, 11 Airmobile Infantry Battalion Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers of the Royal Netherlands Army deployed to Egypt for the exercise.[5] Also among the many military units was the 256th Combat Support Hospital which is an Army Reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio and the 140th Quartermaster unit from Fort Totten, NY. The 256th CSH served in support of the many jump operations that were conducted. The Aviation Task Force was led by the Wisconsin and Iowa Army National Guard's 1-147th Command Aviation Battalion supported by MEDEVAC units from California and Wyoming. CH-47 Chinooks were provided by the Connecticut Army National Guard
Bright Star 10 took place in October 2009 which included a strategic airborne jump of more than 300 Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division partnering with Egyptian, German, Kuwaiti, and Pakistani paratroopers, while more than 1,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit rolled onto El Alamein Beach by amphibious landing with their Bright Star counterparts.[6]
Also more non-traditional training took place during the operation and included a combined computer aided command post exercise introducing partnering soldiers to each other's equipment and updated tactics, thereby developing a better coalition contingency environment.[6]
Bright Star 14, which should have taken place in September 2013, was cancelled by U.S. president Barack Obama after Egyptian police raided two large encampments by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo to forcibly disperse them, after six weeks of unauthorized sit-in.[7]
Bright Star 21 took place at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Marsa Matruh from September 2 to September 16, 2021. Military groups from the following nations joined the U.S. and Egypt in Bright Star 2021: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, Kuwait, UAE, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Pakistan. The exercise was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17]
Bright Star 23
The next bright star exercise was hosted in 2023, as confirmed by the Egyptian embassy in Washington D.C.[18] The exercise was taken place from August 27 to September 16, 2023, at Cairo (West) Air Base in Egypt. The Indian Air Force took part in Ex BRIGHT STAR-23 for the first time along with contingents from the US, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Qatar.[19]
↑ "U.S. participates in Exercise Bright Star in Egypt". United States Central Command. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2019. U.S. military forces will join the Egyptian armed forces for Exercise Bright Star 2018 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, Egypt, Sept. 8 - 20 [, 2018]. Approximately 800 U.S. military service will participate in this exercise for the second year in a row. The focus this year will be on regional security and cooperation, and promoting interoperability in irregular warfare scenarios.
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War, and to deliver humanitarian aid to them. The no-fly zone instituted to help bring this about would become one of the main factors allowing the development of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The United States Central Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF).
USS Merrill (DD-976), named for Rear Admiral Aaron Stanton Merrill USN (1890–1961), was a Spruance-class destroyer that entered service with the United States Navy in 1978. Merrill served as the US Navy's test platform for the Tomahawk cruise missile. In the 1980s, the destroyer took part in Operation Earnest Will in the Persian Gulf during heightened tensions with Iran. The destroyer was decommissioned in 1998. The vessel was used as a target ship in 2003 and sunk off Hawaii in 2003.
The Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held in August. It is hosted and administered by the United States Navy's Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered at Pearl Harbor, in conjunction with the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the control of the Governor of Hawaii.
Exercise Campaign Reforger was an annual military exercise and campaign conducted by NATO during the Cold War. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact. Although most troops deployed were from the United States, the operation also involved a substantial number of troops from other NATO countries including Canada and the United Kingdom. It was a basic military planning exercise to smooth out issues in the event of an invasion of western Europe, and not a show of force. Once the Cold War ended, it was superseded by other exercises.
The United States Air Force Security Forces (SF) are the ground combat force and military police service of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. The USAF Security Forces were formerly known as Military Police (MP), Air Police (AP), and Security Police (SP) at various points in their history. Due to its ground combat mission, Security Forces are the premier defense force of airbases in both expeditionary and contingency Air Force operations. This should not be confused with nor compared with U.S. Army(11B) or U.S. Marine Corps(0311) infantry, which are military occupation specialties tasked with initial ground assaults, sustained combat/offensive operations and battlefield occupation to continue strategic advancements. They were formed on the premise of being the Air Force's "Marine Corps", in that they would provide security for the Air Force similar to how the Marines provide security for the Navy.
The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative, UNITAF was charged with carrying out United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 to create a protected environment for conducting humanitarian operations in the southern half of the country.
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint Department of Defense combatant command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa through the Persian Gulf region, into Central Asia.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM-263) is a United States Marine Corps tiltrotor squadron consisting of MV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "Thunder Chickens", is based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
In the United States Marine Corps, a Marine Air–Ground Task Force is the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air–ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that is structured to accomplish a specific mission. The MAGTF was formalized by the publishing of Marine Corps Order 3120.3 in December 1963, "The Marine Corps in the National Defense, MCDP 1-0". It stated:
A Marine air–ground task force with separate air ground headquarters is normally formed for combat operations and training exercises in which substantial combat forces of both Marine aviation and Marine ground units are included in the task organization of participating Marine forces.
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 personnel. The MEU consists of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite aviation squadron and a combat logistics battalion. The 13th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (26th MEU (SOC)) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment. It consists of four major parts: a command element, a ground combat element, an aviation combat element, and a logistics combat element. Since its establishment in the early 1970s as the 26th Marine Amphibious Unit, it has deployed extensively and participated in numerous combat and contingency operations, as well as training exercises. The 26th MEU (SOC) is based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
The 174th Attack Wing is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York. The 174th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.
The United States Africa Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command. U.S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $276 million in fiscal year 2012.
The 820th Base Defense Group is the United States Air Force's only first-in, fully-integrated, world-wide deployable, base defense capability currently based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The BDG was re-activated in 1997 and is composed of three rapidly-deployable Base Defense Squadrons, and the 820th Combat Operations Squadron. Each multi-functional BDS contains security forces, intelligence, EOD, engineering, communications, medical, logistics, and administration personnel able to operate with limited support from other deployed forces, as part of the Department of Defense's Immediate Response Force (IRF). Currently, the 820th BDG has been placed under Air Combat Commands only lead wing. The unit is trained and equipped to perform joint forceable entry, RANGER, Jungle, Arctic, Mountain, Pathfinder, SAPPR, FRIES/SPIES, Sniper Support, airfield security assessments, base defense, area defense, mobile defense, and C2 of defense forces for one large base or several small sites. Additionally, the squadrons can link with other integrated defense or initial entry/base seizure forces and provide a secure and smooth transition to airfield opening forces.
The Pakistan Marines or simply as Pak Marines, is an expeditionary and amphibious warfare uniform service branch within the Pakistan Navy, consisting of the naval officers and other personnel to perform their duties within the Marines. Pakistan Marines are responsible for providing force protection in littorals, using the mobility of the Pakistan Navy to provide creeks defence, ground based air defence and Force protection.
The 163rd Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Indiana Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Wing, located at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Indiana. The 163rd is currently transitioning from the A-10 Thunderbolt II to the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The 5th Combat Communications Group is a specialized unit of the United States Air Force. The 5th Mob is currently based at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. Its current structure is made up of two active duty Combat Communications Squadrons and the 5th Combat Communications Support Squadron, which handles such activities as the group's Mobility Training Program.
Foal Eagle is a combined field training exercise (FTX) conducted annually by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces under the auspices of the Combined Forces Command. It is one of the largest military exercises conducted annually in the world. Foal Eagle has been a source of friction with the government of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and domestic ROK critics.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bright Star.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
