Bright Star Exercise 2005 - The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1)

The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) transits the Suez Canal. Tarawa and Pearl Harbor are in route to the Mediterranean Sea to participate in exercise “Bright Star”, a multinational exercise held every two years in Egypt. Bright Star is the largest and most significant coalition military exercise conducted by U.S. Central Command. The exercise is an important part of U.S. Central Command’s theater engagement strategy and is designed to improve readiness and interoperability and strengthen the military and professional relationships among U.S., Egyptian and participating forces. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Brandon A. Teeples