WASHINGTON — The US military kicked off the latest iteration of its premier military exercises with Egypt on Friday at Mohammed Naguib Military Base in the city of Hammam in the Marsa Matrouh governorate. The semiannual war games have been a cornerstone of bilateral ties since 1980.

Roughly 1,500 US military personnel will be involved in this year’s exercises, which will stretch through Sept. 10, according to US Central Command. That's the same number that participated in the previous iteration in 2023, and Egypt's armed forces noted that 13 foreign countries would actively participate, with at least 40 nations sending observers — marking the broadest international involvement since the games began in 1980. 

The exercises will cover “conventional and irregular warfare, command post exercises, field training and combined joint task force planning,” according to a statement by the US Embassy in Cairo. The continued expansion of the Bright Star games “underscor[es] the exercise’s growing global relevance,” CENTCOM said in a press release.

Why it matters: The Pentagon is seeking to maintain Washington’s influence with a key regional state that controls the Suez Canal, as Beijing has continued to invest at the fringes of US influence in the region.