Egypt and the United States are scrapping this year's planned military drills, known as Bright Star, the largest exercises of their kind in the region, Egyptian and US military sources told Reuters on Wednesday. An Egyptian army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said political upheaval this year that saw Hosni Mubarak overthrown got in the way of planning the biannual exercises. Still, the disclosure comes at a delicate moment in Egypt, whose military rulers are under pressure to speed democratic reforms six months after taking command in the wake of Mubarak's downfall. "The Bright Star military practice was called off exceptionally this year given the political situation in Egypt," an Egyptian army official said. The US military brands Bright Star the centerpiece of military-to-military relations between the two countries. Led by Egypt and the United States, the last exercise in 2009 also counted participation of nations including Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The drills are the oldest military exercises in the US military's Central Command region, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan. Dating back to 1981, they are an outgrowth of the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel. A US military source said both countries aim to resume the drills in 2013, with the Egyptian government agreeing to start formal planning meetings in June 2012. The Egyptian army official tied the resumption of the drills to the stabilization of the political situation in Egypt, and attributed the cancellation to the inability to plan the exercises this year. "There are preparatory meetings between both sides, mainly US and Egypt, which take place ahead of Bright Star each year, but those have not happened this year," the army official said. "The first coordinatory meeting usually takes place in February or March of the year, followed by a meeting in June," the source said. Egypt has been in political limbo ever since an 18-day uprising forced ex-president Hosni Mubarak out of office on 11 February. The armed forces military council, which took power after Mubarak stepped down, deployed its troops onto the streets. The army has been responsible for handling day-to-day government, as well as for the country's internal security and patrolling the borders. It has repeatedly said it is moving as swiftly as possible to civilian rule with a parliamentary poll due in November and a presidential election next year.
