Amirah Ibrahim reports on the Bright Star military exercises' move from sea to air Troops from Egypt, Kuwait, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Turkey, Yemen, Pakistan, the US and UK -- the 13 countries participating in this year's Bright Star military manoeuvres (BS 07) -- have completed more than 110 military exercises so far. A total of 131 exercises have been scheduled -- including practical training in relief operations and humanitarian assistance -- involving 42 aircraft, 13 ships and 7,400 troops. The scale of the biennial war games is smaller than in previous years. In 2001, 70,000 military personnel took part. The bulk of this year's exercises are focussed on using computer technologies to enhance command post skills, with the showcase Command Post Exercise (CPX) clearly demonstrating how technology has forced a shift in modern warfare. During CPX coalition forces tracked simulated battles through the latest computer systems. Pakistan, previously an observer at BS exercises, is participating for the first time with 400 Special Services Group troops and with the Pakistan naval ship Tipu Sultan. On 13 November, Tipu Sultan took part in a joint exercise with American units off the Mediterranean Coat near Al-Alamein. In the 20 days of manoeuvres Pakistani troops will have participated in live firing exercises and training in desert camouflage, desert survival, para jumps and deep sea diving. A friendship jump and wing exchange represented one of BS 07's main demonstrations. On Sunday, paratroopers from the US, Egypt, Pakistan, Germany and Yemen conducted a joint jump from six C-17 aircraft. Three planes took off from an East Cairo air base early morning, arriving at the drop zone of Koum Osheem, Fayoum, west of Cairo, at 6am. The first plane carried 36 Americans, 24 Egyptians, five Germans and four Kuwaitis, the second 20 Americans, 31 Egyptians and three Kuwaitis. The third aircraft was used for pilot training. A second joint drop was conducted two hours later, with three C- 17s: the first carried 45 Americans, 25 Egyptians and one German, the second 22 Americans, 22 Egyptians, two Kuwaitis and nine Yemenis. Again, the third aircraft was used for pilot training. The paratroopers used American T-10D parachutes, a modified version of the T-10B currently used by Egyptian troops. "The T-10D is 30 feet wide, five feet less than the T-10B," says Major Ahmed Omar El-Farouk, Egyptian commander of the operation. While the drop took only two minutes to complete, the operation involved weeks of planning. "Jumpers were trained on the C-17. Jumpmasters from each country were paired, receiving sustained airborne training and experience of pre-jump, parachute landing fall and in-aircraft action. Orders were given in both English and Arabic languages," says El-Farouk. Lt Gen J Hechtel, head of the German delegation to the BS 07, stresses the benefits of the manoeuvres. "The soldiers and officers taking part in the joint exercises have different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. The exercises allow them to share these experiences." Germany joined the manoeuvres in 2001. "It is important for us to familiarise ourselves with combat in different environments and to get to know about other cultures. It is an advantage to learn to communicate with different military systems. The basics may be fixed but tactics and planning systems differ," says Hechtel. German paratroopers conducted a joint jump with Pakistani and Jordanian troops in 2005 but BS 07 is the first time they have trained alongside Egyptian paratroopers. At the Koum Osheem drop zone Colonel Thomas Tate, the US paratrooper commander, presented a commemorative airborne plaque to his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Omar, during a wing exchange in which Hechtel also took part. Three days earlier, following a 13-hour flight from Fort Campbell, Kentucky onboard two C-17s, 29 Egyptian and 112 American paratroopers had carried out a joint airborne operation -- a strategic drop -- in the same drop zone of Koum Osheem. Major General Essmat Morad, commander of Egyptian paratroopers, and US Army Central commander Lt Gen Steven Whitcomb, briefed journalists about the operation. "The jump started from a height of 1,500 feet, at six metres per second, with a duration of two minutes," said Morad. He added that the aim was to enhance interoperability between US, Egyptian and coalition forces. Major General Abdel-Fatah Farag, BS 07's Egyptian director, revealed that preparation for the strategic drop began two weeks earlier. On 23 October, Egyptian paratroopers arrived at Ft. Campbell where they completed an abbreviated air assault course during which they were introduced to air assault operations and received practical training in rigging and hooking up sling loads. "The practical exercises involved Apache helicopters engaging targets as close as 400 metres with 2.75 rockets and the 30mm chain guns," Farag explained. On 2 November, 141 soldiers completed a 1500-foot drop from a C-17 over Sukchon drop zone at Ft. Campbell. On 7 November the troops from the two countries departed Ft. Campbell aboard three C-17s for the 13-hour flight that included two aerial refuels. It ended when the paratroopers exited the aircraft simultaneously over Koum Osheem. "The airdrop demonstrates the ability of coalition forces to complete an airborne operation within 24 hours notice, anywhere in the world, and whenever it is ordered," said Farag. BS 07 is scheduled to end 19 November, with a seminar attended by senior leaders of participant nations scheduled to allow for the exchange of views and a discussion of the lessons learnt.
