Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23: INS Sumedha At Port Alexandria, Egypt
Defence
5 min read
INS Sumedha arrived at Port Alexandria, Egypt on 06 September 2023 to participate in ‘Exercise BRIGHT STAR- 23’.
This edition of the multinational Tri-Services military exercise will see participation from 34 countries. It is the largest ever joint military exercise in the Middle East & North Africa region.
About Exercise BRIGHT STAR 2023
U.S. military forces joined the Egyptian Armed Forces, as well as other participating nations, for Exercise BRIGHT STAR 2023 at Mohamed Naguib Military Base, Egypt, 31 August – 14 September 2023. BRIGHT STAR 2023 builds on the strategic security relationship between Egypt and the United States.
- Approximately 1500 U.S. service members participate in BRIGHT STAR 23. The focus will be on regional security and cooperation while promoting interoperability in conventional and irregular warfare scenarios.
- The exercise consists of field training exercises (FTX), a command post exercise (CPX) focused on military decision-making process, military academics, Command and Control, Combined Joint Task Force planning and a senior level leadership Seminar.
Phases of Exercise
Ex Bright Star 23 is scheduled to be conducted in two phases.
- Harbor Phase: It involves wide-ranging activities such as cross-deck visits, professional exchanges, sports fixtures and interactions for planning and conduct of the Sea Phase.
- Sea Phase:It will include complex and high intensity exercises encompassing cross deck flying, anti-surface and anti-air exercises including live weapon firing drills.
Importance of Exercise
The exercise provides an opportunity to the Indian Navy to enhance and demonstrate interoperability and also gain from the best practices in maritime security operations from its partner nations.
- This is the maiden participation of the Indian Navy in Ex Bright Star, which will also see participation of Naval ships from other Friendly Foreign Navies.
About INS Sumedha
- INS Sumedha, commanded by Commander MC Chandeep, is the third ship of the indigenously built Saryu class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPV) that possess long endurance, are fitted with requisite weapons, sensors, and capable of embarking an integral helicopter.
- A highly potent platform that can be deployed for a variety of operational missions, INS Sumedha bears testimony to the capabilities of the Indian shipbuilding industry which underscores the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Saryu Class Naval Offshore Patrol VesselsThe Saryu Class NOPVs were designed by the in-house design team of Goa Shipyard. The first NOPV in the series, INS Saryu, was launched in March 2009 and handed over to the Indian Navy in December 2012. The vessel was inducted into the Indian Navy in January 2013. The second vessel, INS Sunayna, was launched in November 2009 at the Goa Shipyard and commissioned by the Indian Navy in October 2013. The third and fourth OPVs in the class, INS Sumedha and INS Sumitra, were launched in May 2011 and December 2010 respectively. The Saryu Class NOPVs can be deployed for ocean surveillance and monitoring India’s sea lines of communication (SLOC) and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and protection of offshore oil field infrastructure and offshore national assets. The Saryu Class vessels can also be tasked with surface warfare operations, escort of high value vessels, fleet support operations and anti-piracy patrols. |
