Russia participated in Bright Star 2000 (US/Egyptian exercise, involving 11 nations and 70,000 personnel that year)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bright_Star
Thursday, 18 August 2016
Egypt conducts joint military drill with NATO naval force, to take part in anti-terror drills with Russia
Egyptian naval forces have concluded a joint military drill with NATO’s
SNMG 2 navy during a multiple-day visit, according to a military statement carried by
Ahram Online. SNMG 2 is one of NATO’s two Standing Maritime Groups, a “multinational, integrated force made up of vessels from various allied countries…[providing NATO] with a continuous maritime capability for operations and other activities in peacetime and in periods of crisis and conflict.” Egypt will also take part in anti-terror drills with a division of the Russian Airborne Forces in October,
Sputnik reports.
http://enterprise.press/stories/201...-take-part-in-anti-terror-drills-with-russia/
The Growing Number of Military Exercises in the Middle East
05/04/2016
The Middle East has witnessed an increase in military exercises in recent years and widespread participation which has included several international parties. The jump can be interpreted in light of the increasing intensity of threats faced by those countries, at the forefront of which is the expansion in armed terrorist organizations, the continuing negative impacts of Iranian policies which threaten stability in various countries, and the exacerbating risks of refugee flows to Europe via the Mediterranean. However, it should be noted that each country participates for its own unique reasons.
Several Exercises:
The military exercises held in recent years included all types of weapons as well as ground, air, and naval forces. The most prominent was the Cleopatra 2014 maneuver in which a number of Egyptian naval units participated over several days in cooperation with French naval forces in French waters for the first time in the history of military cooperation between the two nations. During the same year, Egyptian forces participated alongside their Emirati counterparts in a military exercise dubbed “Plus One.”
The month of June 2015 witnessed an Egyptian-Russian exercise entitled “Friendship Bridge 2015” and was paraded by several pieces of naval equipment from both sides. In March 2016, joint military exercises were launched between Egypt and France called ‘Ramses 2016’ in the framework of joint military cooperation between the two countries, and units of Egyptian and French naval units participated.
The month of March also witnessed the launch of the Eagle’s Salute 2016 exercise in which the US, UAE, and Egypt participated in the territorial waters of the Red Sea in the framework of the annual plan for joint exercises. This involved several joint naval activities, including reconnaissance in particular, as well as offensive and defensive sailing formations and how to deal with hostile targets.
Perhaps the largest exercise in the region was the North Thunder exercise launched in March with 20 Middle Eastern nations participating, and most importantly the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, and Pakistan. This was the largest joint military exercise in the region and involved broad formations of forces, tanks, and armored vehicles as well as fighter jets and helicopters.
What is new?
The new military exercises conducted in recent times have a number of features, the most important of which include:
1. Population density and time period: The year 2016 witnessed a considerable amount of military exercises: over just three months, Ramses 2016, Eagle Salute 2016, and North Thunder were held, which is a significant number compared to previous years. The exercises were also held within a short amount of time, which can be interpreted in light of the escalating threats faced by countries in the region which motivated them to participate in the exercises.
2. Broad range of forces and equipment used: The exercises did not employ a limited number or quality of weapons; all types of military formations were utilized, including fighter jets and helicopters, naval equipment, and ground forces, and tanks and armored vehicles in particular. This was demonstrated most clearly during North Thunder, which was described as the largest of the three not only in terms of the number of participating countries, but also the broad range of participating forces.
3. A change in the goals of the exercises: Contrary to what was formerly prevalent, it appears that parties conducting and organizing these military exercises recognized the nature of the change in the threats they currently. Combating terrorist organizations is now a top priority, and as a result, countries have begun identifying new goals for these exercises that involve training for the desert warfare and guerrilla methods utilized by such groups. Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, Adviser to the Saudi Defense Minister and Spokesperson for the Arab Coalition forces, emphasized the importance of the North Thunder exercises in ascertaining the extent to which the forces that aim to bolster the security of participating countries are capable of fighting militias and terrorist elements in the area.
4. Parties participating in the exercises: Egypt is among the countries that has participated the most in these military exercises, a fact that can be interpreted in light of the military experience the Egyptian army boasts not only in fighting organized armies, but also terrorist organizations.
5. New international parties participating in the exercises: Before the year 2014, the Middle East and the Mediterranean were not considered areas of interest for countries such as France and Russia with regard to military exercises. However, it now appears that terrorist organizations’ targeting of these countries’ interest in the recent past has pushed them to participate in military exercises or international military coalitions in order to eliminate terrorist organizations and prevent them from penetrating their territory.
Motivations behind the rise in military exercises:
A variety of motivations and reasons have pushed some countries of the region to conduct or participate in military exercises. These are linked to the expanding scope of conventional and unconventional threats. For example, conventional risks to participating countries have increased sharply in recent times, particularly as a result of terrorist organizations which have continuously targeted their interests. The negative impacts of Iranian policies in the region are also a factor, pushing some nations to intensify their participation in such exercises as a means to send direct and indirect warnings to Iran.
Additionally, unconventional security threats to some countries, and European nations in particular, have pushed them to up their participation in military exercises. These threats included the risks of growing refugee flows via the Mediterranean due to its negative impacts on security in those countries.
Overall, we can say that despite the presence of unique factors which push each individual country to participate in military exercises, the escalating threats formed by terrorist organizations and their targeting these countries represents the most important factor for all parties, which have now made fighting such organizations a top priority.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...l&ct=clnk&gl=nl&client=firefox-b#.V_rPqyQhGYA
