Egypt has concluded what it called a "major military exercise" in the Sinai Peninsula. Middle East News Line (MENL) reports that the 10-day exercise was conducted by the Third Army in southern Sinai, and was meant to determine combat skills and integrate new weaponry and systems for Egypt's ground forces. The exercise, dubbed "A'asar-2002," was attended by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, senior military commanders and other officials. This was the second exercise in the Sinai peninsula over the last three months. Tantawi said Egypt requires a powerful military to safeguard the country and regional peace. Dr. Aryeh Stav, Director of the Ariel Center for Policy Research, told Arutz-7 several months ago,
"Look, I head a center that takes a long-range, strategic view. Egypt is one of the poorest nations in the world, yet it spends 20% of its budget on re-arming. It has one of the largest armies in the world, with 450,000 soldiers, and another 400,000 in auxiliary frameworks, and is outfitted with some of the most modern weaponry. It has no viable enemies anywhere else, and therefore the conclusion is that this army is being built up to fight a war against Israel. They announce this openly: Tantawi said recently that the army is preparing for the fight with the 'Zionist enemy.'"
"Look, I head a center that takes a long-range, strategic view. Egypt is one of the poorest nations in the world, yet it spends 20% of its budget on re-arming. It has one of the largest armies in the world, with 450,000 soldiers, and another 400,000 in auxiliary frameworks, and is outfitted with some of the most modern weaponry. It has no viable enemies anywhere else, and therefore the conclusion is that this army is being built up to fight a war against Israel. They announce this openly: Tantawi said recently that the army is preparing for the fight with the 'Zionist enemy.'"