The upcoming Bright Star 25 exercise marks a significant milestone for the biennial multinational military drill, which is one of the longest-running maneuvers in the Middle East and Africa.

Co-led by the Egyptian Armed Forces and US Central Command (CENTCOM), Bright Star is designed to strengthen military interoperability, regional security cooperation and the alliance between the United States and Egypt.

Since its inception in 1980, what began as a small joint training exercise has transformed into a large-scale, complex military endeavor. In 1983, the United States and Egypt agreed to codify the exercise into a biennial event.

Today, Bright Star involves not only command post simulations but also air, land, maritime and special operations field training.

The 2023 iteration brought together over 1,500 US troops and forces from 10 nations, reflecting the exercise’s global footprint.

Opportunities across domains

Egypt has maintained an active role in regional security, currently serving as the leader of Combined Task Force 153 –– a multinational maritime force operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.

Bright Star 25 will furnish the United States and Egypt an opportunity to discuss and review the M1A1 Abrams tank co-production program.

Under the co-production program, Egypt produces components and kits for the US workhorse M1A1 Abrams tank, boosting its domestic defense industry and its ability to repair and maintain key military equipment.

Bright Star 25's multi-domain emphasis also presents an opportunity to explore multilateral space cooperation.

Egypt serves as the home base for the African Space Agency and has poured resources into its own space exploration ambitions.

The United States has been a partner in this process across both government and industry, with the US Embassy sponsoring NASA visits for Egyptian students interested in space.

In May, a US-based commercial space infrastructure company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Space Agency, establishing a partnership focused on research and human spaceflight.

Bright Star 23, held primarily at Egypt's Mohamed Naguib Military Base, laid the groundwork for this year’s enhanced cooperation.

"Bright Star has long been an example of the military-to-military partnerships in the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said of Bright Star 23.

Bright Star 25 is poised to underscore the enduring US-Egypt defense partnership and the depth of the shared commitment to regional security.