Egypt's and Jordan's military forces will start joint military exercise Aqaba 4 on 21 December, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Defence. The exercise will include infantry forces as well as commandos, paratroopers, the air force, and special navy units, according to a statement on Wednesday by the ministry. It will also include troops from the engineers corps of both countries, with the aim of sharing experience and military tactics, to "counter any dangers that might face the two countries or the region." The joint military exercise confirms the historical and strategic relations between both countries, said the statement. It aims to exercise both forces to advance their skills and to confront challenges threatening the region. The exercise will help both sides coordinate to implement certain tasks together in the context of counter-terrorism. This is the fourth consecutive year both countries will participate in such an exercise. In November 2017, the military exercises between the Egyptian and Jordanian armies launched Aqaba 3. Egypt has recently conducted several military exercises with a number of countries including Greece, Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. On Monday, the Egyptian military started joint counter-terrorism exercises with several African counterparts from the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). Egyptian military spokesperson Tamer Al-Refaie said in a statement that the first phase of the drills, including Sudan, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, will be held at Egypt's Mohamed Naguib military base in Marsa Matrouh, the largest military base in the Middle East and Africa.
