Cairo - Bright Star military maneuvers between the United States and Egypt will start again before the end of the year, after being suspended in 2009, U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Robert Stephen Beecroft said. Operation Bright Star is held every two years, and is a series of combined and joint training exercises led by United States and Egyptian forces in Egypt. These exercises began in 1980, rooted in the Camp David Accords. After its signing, the military forces of Egypt and the United States agreed to conduct coalition training in Egypt. It is designed to strengthen ties between the Egyptian Armed Forces and the United States Central Command and demonstrate and enhance the ability of the Americans to reinforce their allies in the Middle East in the event of war. These deployments usually are centered at the large Cairo West Air Base. During the period following the liberation of Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm), these exercises have grown larger and have included as many as 11 countries and 70,000 personnel. Other allied nations joining Bright Star exercises in Egypt include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. During his meeting on Sunday with members of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Egypt, on the sidelines of the annual conference of the chamber, the ambassador said that the coming period will witness intensive exchange of visits between the two countries, especially as the ties between both states have seen positive improvements after President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visited Washington in April. He noted that the meeting between El-Sisi and Trump in Riyadh on Sunday was very important and confirms the improvement of relations. He explained that the military aid to Egypt will not be cut and that economic aid is still at a high level compared to other countries. He pointed out that Egyptian-American relations are witnessing great progress during the current phase. He noted that the AmCham door-knocking campaign is very important as it sheds light on the positive improvements, as well as the challenges. He revealed that a U.S. delegation will visit Cairo next month to start negotiations related to the crises in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. He added that the U.S. supports Egypt in solving these problems, next to securing support for the economic reform program and boosting investments.
