Indian Army contingent comprising of 137 personnel departed for “Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23” scheduled to be conducted from 31 August to 14 September 2023 at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Egypt.
Key points
- It is a multinational tri-services joint military exercise that will be led by US CENTCOM and Egyptian Army.
- It was initially conceptualized as a bilateral biennial training exercise between the US and Egypt during the Camp David Accord of 1977.
- The first edition of the Exercise was conducted in the year 1980 in Egypt. From 1995 onwards the Exercise was expanded for participation by other nations.
- The previous Exercise BRIGHT STAR was conducted in the year 2021 wherein forces of 21 countries had participated.
- This year 34 countries will participate in Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23.
- It will be the largest ever joint military exercise in Middle East & North Africa region.
- This is for the first time that Indian Armed Forces are participating in Exercise BRIGHT STAR with a total strength of 549 personnel. The Indian Army is being represented by a contingent from 23 JAT Battalion.
