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Egypt to conduct major offensive exercise Egypt's military is preparing for a major exercise meant to test its ground-based offensive capabilities. The exercise will be led by the Egyptian Third Army. The army operates in the Suez area near the Sinai peninsula. Western defense attaches have seen the biannual Egyptian exercise as a scenario based on a conflict with Israel to the east. Egyptian officials said the forthcoming exercise would include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter support for the mock invasion. The offensive would be led by tanks and mechanized units. Western defense sources in Cairo said Egypt aims to address criticism that the ground forces comprise the weakest element of the military. Unlike naval and air force personnel, infantry soldiers are regarded as the least trained and educated in the military. This week, the Egyptian Third Army held preparations for the combat exercise. The preparations — attended by Arab and some Western defense attaches — included the deployment of mechanized infantry, armored units, air support and air defense systems. The preparations also included administrative and support units. The Third Army maneuvers focused on advancing armored and mechanized units forward toward enemy lines. The ground forces were backed by combat jets and attack helicopters. The official Middle East News Agency deemed the maneuvers as a success. The agency said troops moved rapidly through desert terrain, benefitted by an efficient command structure. Gen. Magada Hatata, commander of the Third Army, urged his commanders to show initiative. Hatata said Egypt must increase cooperation and coordination between air and ground forces to bolster military strength. Meanwhile Russia plans to sell military jets or major aircraft subsystems to Egypt and its Arab neighbors. Industry sources said Russia is negotiating with Cairo and several North African Arab clients for the sale of transport jets and helicopters. They said the proposed sale was discussed last month during a visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Moscow. Egypt, the sources said, is largely interested in Russian support aircraft for its air force. The Egyptian air force is based on U.S.-supplied combat jets such as the F-16. The sources said they expect to complete formal negotiations with Egypt over the next year for the sale of aircraft. They did not elaborate. Russia has also targeted Egypt's neighbors, including Algeria and Libya, for aircraft sales. Algeria has already ordered 22 Su-24 fighter-bombers. Egypt could also serve as a market for a Russian upgrade of Cairo's Soviet air fleet, the sources said. Egypt still has in operation up to 10 Su-24s and 40 MiG-23s. In Cairo, the Egyptian military has launched plans for a major exercise to train troops and armored and mechanized units to work in unision. Officials said the planned exercise by the Third Army is meant to bolster Egypt's offensive capability and increase the speed of movements by large numbers of troops. |
