US President Barack Obama notified the Egyptian military that "traditional cooperation cannot continue" so long as civilians are being killed in the streets of Cairo, he said today from a vacation home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Canceling Operation Bright Star, a biennial military exercise between the US and Egypt in the Sinai that began in 1980, the president also directed his national security team to reassess other aspects of the relationship between the two nations.
Obama canceled Bright Star in 2011 when the original Egyptian Revolution overthrew longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
"We don't take sides with any particular party or political figure," Obama said. "We appreciate the complexity of the situation."
Obama said that Morsi's government "was not inclusive," though democratically elected. He noted that the US relationship with Egypt goes back decades, and that the largest Arab nation represents a "cornerstone for peace in the Middle East."
Roughly 700 US soldiers are currently positioned in the Sinai.
"We deplore violence against civilians," he said. "We oppose the pursuit of martial law."
The president refrained from directly addressing US aid to Egypt, which amounts to roughly 1.4 billion annually. Saudi Arabia, among other Sunni Arab states, have increased aid to the military in recent months, dwarfing the American package.
Obama spoke as the Egyptian military continued a crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, which began Wednesday. Over 500 deaths have been reported, and thousands more have been injured as the violence has spread nationwide.
On Wednesday, a visibly frustrated US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Egypt to end its State of Emergency as soon as possible and called the violence "deplorable."
Morsi protestors were digging in on Thursday, vowing to disobey the army so long as the former president remains in custody and out of power.