Operation Bright Star kicks off at Mohamed Naguib base

CAIRO, SEPT 8 (SEE)- The Egyptian-American joint Operation Bright Star 2018 kicked off at Mohamed Naguib Military Base with the participation of 25 other countries from September 8-20.

For his part, Major General John Matt, director of the American side, expressed his deep appreciation to the Egyptian armed forces for hosting the exercise for the second year in a row, stressing that the United States considers Egypt one of the most important strategic partners in the region.

"We are all stronger as a team and we can not do the work without our partners. It is a great honor for me to represent more than 800 American participants in the bright star 2018, which builds on the great achievements of previous years," Matt said.

He explained that the goal of participating in the military exercise is to take advantage of every opportunity for joint cooperation by determining the best ways to confront Threats to regional security.

Participating forces inspected an exhibition of modern equipment for the air defense forces, mechanized infantry, artillery, and special forces.

The bright star training this year aims at developing non-stereotyped fighting and attack tactics that help purge armed terrorist strongholds.