Bright Star War Games Blur Military-Police Lines
Egypt Security Sector Report
This week’s issue looks at Sisi’s moralist crackdown and control of the religious establishment, the continuing Bright Star drills with US forces, and European unease over a planned Europol agreement with Cairo. I also report on gas imports from Israel, deepening partnerships with China, new US arms deals, and the arrest of Sinai activist Saʿid Atiq after criticizing Ibrahim al-Organi.
Religion and Morals in Sisi’s New Republic
I wrote an article on the recent moralist crackdown in Egypt, and how Sisi polices the religious establishment.
Bright Star 2025
The US-Egyptian multinational war games continue at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base.
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior (MOI)’s elite units—the Homeland Security’s Hostage Rescue Force and the Central Security Forces’ Black Cobra—are also participating, reflecting a trend that began in 2021 of inviting the (supposedly civilian) police to such military training.
The Black Cobra police officers could be seen in the gallery below, demonstrating close-quarters combat during border security training with British Army soldiers assigned to 1 Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.
