I shall refrain from further comment re Saif Sareea 2 save noting that others have made valid points for, but mostly against. The concept of a large scale OOA is one thing, the execution being compromised by fiscal restraint as has been widely noted is quite another.
At the end of the day, remember that it is an EXERCISE, it is neither TTW nor an OPERATION. All participants will therefore be constrained by their own orders for peacetime flying; temptation to push the limits for whatever reason must not be allowed to happen.
And JHC - many of the participants have been away on detachments around the globe in support of real operations for so long that the prospect of yet another detachment, but for merely a peacetime exercise, is hardly surprisingly being viewed with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. Granted it will give those more used to Salisbury Plain, UK Military Training Areas etc, a bigger area in which to practise - but those who have been spending their time in the Balkans, Gulf, Turkey, Falklands, etc etc view things with a somewhat different eye!
[ 10 August 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]