Cairo: Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent with Integrated Combat troops have arrived at Alexandria for Exercise Bright Star-23 on August 29. The opening ceremony was held on August 31.

The Indian contingent of 550 personnel is among the largest Indian deployments for an overseas exercise, the Indian Embassy in Egypt said.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Indian Embassy in Egypt stated, "Indian Army and IAF contingent with Integrated Combat troops arrived at Alexandria on Aug 29, 2023 for #ExBrightStar 23. The opening ceremony was held on August 31. The overall Indian contingent of 550 personnel is among the largest Indian deployments for an overseas Exercise."

On August 29, the Indian Army contingent comprising 137 personnel departed for Exercise Bright Star-23, the Ministry of Defence said in an earlier press release. The Indian Army is being represented by a contingent from 23 JAT Battalion.

The exercise which began on August 31 will culminate on September 13 at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in Egypt.

Exercise Bright Star-23 is a multinational tri-services joint military exercise that will be led by US CENTCOM and the Egyptian Army. Initially, this exercise was conceptualized as a bilateral biennial training exercise between the US and Egypt during the Camp David Accord of 1977.

The first edition of the exercise was conducted in Egypt in 1980. From 1995 onwards, the exercise was expanded for participation by other nations. Previously, Exercise Bright Star was conducted in 2021 wherein forces of 21 nations participated, according to the Ministry of Defence's earlier press release. It will be the largest-ever joint military exercise in the Middle East and North Africa region.

This year, 34 countries nations are participating in Exercise Bright Star-23. The Exercise will comprise a large number of training activities focused on combating emerging unconventional threats and enhancing regional partnerships amongst participating nations aimed at maintaining world peace.

"In addition to the various field and situational training exercises, Exercise Bright Star-23 will also include a combined arms live firing exercise based on a tactical setting. A panel discussion on contemporary topics is also planned to be conducted on Cyber Security for which the Indian Armed Forces are the lead force," the Ministry of Defence said in an earlier press release.

Exercise Bright Star-23 will provide a unique opportunity for the Indian Army to share best practices and experiences with other armies in addition to enhancing defence cooperation. The Ministry of Defence noted Indian Army looks forward to an enriching professional experience from the exercise.