With 30,000 troops invading Egypt's northern coast off Al-Alamein, Amirah Ibrahim hears that war games are really about defending international peace Military forces from Egypt, the US and 10 other countries staged an amphibious landing of troops Thursday in the Omayad area of the northern coast; all part of a comprehensive military exercise under the name "Bright Star". The scenario is that a country attacks a neighbouring country and succeeds in penetrating its border. As the attacking forces refuse to withdraw from territories they occupy, coalition forces launch an all-out war to drive the enemy out and restore stability. According to Egypt's senior planning commander, this year the exercise is divided into five stages. "The first started in August, with the arrival of troops of 11 nations, beside the Egyptians, forming 30,000 personnel and hundreds of military units. The second stage included pre-training and tactical lessons," explained Brigadier Abdel-Aziz El-Salawi. "The third stage witnesses confrontations between two sides, with soldiers carrying out the main tactical operations with the help of the most advanced training aids. This includes land, air and marine activities. The fourth stage includes training officers and commanders of all participating troops within a command centres project," El-Salawi added. A final stage includes collecting troops for departure by way of a controlled system. The battle started with a pair of Egyptian F-16 aircraft engaging a pair of Mirage 2000 aircraft representing hostile intruders. Then the operation started with the introduction of pre- landing forces at Al-Omayad Beach. A combined rifle company made up of Egyptian, Greek, Jordanian and US troops then landed on the beach. The amphibious landing was divided into four waves. Egyptian commandos carried by 15 AAVIS amphibious vehicles carried out the first. The second included deploying tanks and amphibious vehicles directly into the water from ships, carried by three LCU (Landing Craft Utility) beach vehicles, representing the main force for the operation. Marine commandos were then sent to the beach via 13 boats. Two US hovercrafts carried Egyptian, Jordanian and American armoured carriers to the shore as the fourth wave. Meanwhile, Egyptian paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines while Apaches, F-16s and F-18s roamed the skies, providing an umbrella protecting the troops. Egyptian soldiers jumped onto the sand, and raced up the beach to attack an invisible enemy. According to the scenario, troops were engaged in land battles behind the occupation forces' lines. Following the successful landing on Thursday, troops moved rapidly and succeeded in breaking through the enemy's major defence lines. A computer-guided command exercise was performed in which commanders were able to receive satellite images and strategic information about the battlefield. Egyptian Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and US Commander of the Central Command General John Abu Zeid, watched the landing from grandstands on the beach, along with ambassadors and top commanders from a number of participating countries. "I'd like to thank all participants and those who took part in planning and preparing for the exercise," stated Tantawi. "We look forward to bringing about the targeted results of the exercise. Yet it is not necessary that they be direct. The most important is to develop military cooperation among friendly nations. All is for the sake of international peace," Tantawi concluded in a speech following the operations. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly, Major General Ahmed Mukhtar, chief of the Egyptian Training Authority, said that despite the exercise maintaining the same scenario since 1993, cooperation and coordination among forces and their weapons remained the key dividend to be gained from the exercise. "To learn how to unify signal communication equipment, the employment of forces and equipment, and how to exchange information and overall control are significant benefits for military forces," Mukhtar stated. "We have also a number of new applications included in this year's training. For the first time, Bright Star applies a central command project operated from two areas; one in Egypt, the other in the US. This year also we witnessed an amphibious landing carried out by units and troops of four countries, comparing to two countries only on previous exercises." The biennial Bright Star war games have been a tradition since 1981. The number of observers for this year's exercise reached 36 countries from all over the world. Egypt and the US are the two key players. Jordan, the Netherlands, Germany and Greece joined the exercise in 1999 forming the largest coalition gathering since the 1991 Gulf War. Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, France, Italy and Britain contributed to the exercise. This year, Pakistan participated for the first time to the multinational exercise. According to Pakistani military sources, Pakistan was represented by the destroyer PNS Tariq, along with a contingent of marines and special services forces. "Pakistan's navy will gain operational training and valuable exposure while operating with such a diverse yet closely knitted multinational force," stated the Pakistani source. Britain, on the other hand, limited its contribution to the "central command project", deploying no troops in the exercise. Britain reduced its troops in 2001 to only 600, whereas it participated in 1999 with 6,000 soldiers. In 2003, Bright Star was cancelled as both the US and Britain were engaged in Iraq. Though this year the number of participating countries reached its highest level ever -- comprising 12 nations and 36 observers -- the number of troops deployed, 30,000, is far behind levels deployed in 1999 and 2001. "The amount of troops participating is not the criterion to count on," replied Mukhtar to questions posed on this issue. "The question is whether we can attain the required targets or not. Also, it is about who carries out the mission, and with what amount of troops," he explained. The Bright Star war games are slated to continue for the coming 10 days with more navy operations and land battles, drawing to a close by the beginning of October.
