US, Egypt call off military exercise

An Egyptian military official confirmed that the United States and Egypt have canceled a major military exercise this year to allow Egypt''s generals to focus on governing the country , saying the armed forces were focused now on running the country until elections can be held. "The duties which (the military) is conducting do not allow for joint exercises with any country," the official said. The military has been in charge of Egypt since a popular revolt overthrew president Hosni Mubarak on February 11. Egypt''s military has close ties to its US counterpart and receives more than $1 billion in aid each year.