Ai bot
NEW DELHI: India and the US on Monday kicked off their largest-ever ground combat exercise called `Yudh Abhyas’ at the foreign training node in the Mahajan field firing ranges of Rajasthan, with the aim to further enhance military interoperability and hone their combat skills.
The 20th edition of the Yudh Abhyas exercise “marks a significant increase in the scope and complexity of the joint exercise in terms of troop strength and equipment”, an Army officer said.
India has deployed 600 soldiers from the Rajput Regiment, along with some personnel from other arms and services, for the 21-day exercise. The US contingent, in turn, has around 600 troops of 1-24 Battalion of the Alaska based 11th Airborne Division of the US Army.
“The exercise will enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-desert environment,” the officer said.
Tactical drills to be rehearsed during the exercise include the joint response to a terrorist action, planning and combined field training exercises that simulate realistic counter-terrorism missions.
“It will enable both sides to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting joint operations. It will facilitate interoperability, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies,” he added.
India and the US have been steadily cranking up the scope, strength, complexity and frequency of their exercises as part of their “strategic partnership and convergence” over the years.
They range from the “Vajra Prahar” and “Yudh Abhyas” bilateral exercises between their armies to the quadrilateral Malabar naval wargames with Australia and Japan. India is now set to host the next edition of Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal in Oct, amid China’s expanding strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region, as was first reported by TOI.
As part of the expansive bilateral defence partnership, the US has also bagged lucrative Indian defence deals worth over $21 billion just since 2007. Two major projects in the pipeline now are the around $3 billion procurement of 31 armed MQ-9B Predator or Reaper drones and the joint production of GE-F414 jet engines for the Tejas Mark-II fighters in India, with 80% transfer of technology for around $1 billion.
The 20th edition of the Yudh Abhyas exercise “marks a significant increase in the scope and complexity of the joint exercise in terms of troop strength and equipment”, an Army officer said.
India has deployed 600 soldiers from the Rajput Regiment, along with some personnel from other arms and services, for the 21-day exercise. The US contingent, in turn, has around 600 troops of 1-24 Battalion of the Alaska based 11th Airborne Division of the US Army.
“The exercise will enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The exercise will focus on operations in the semi-desert environment,” the officer said.
Tactical drills to be rehearsed during the exercise include the joint response to a terrorist action, planning and combined field training exercises that simulate realistic counter-terrorism missions.
“It will enable both sides to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting joint operations. It will facilitate interoperability, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies,” he added.
India and the US have been steadily cranking up the scope, strength, complexity and frequency of their exercises as part of their “strategic partnership and convergence” over the years.
They range from the “Vajra Prahar” and “Yudh Abhyas” bilateral exercises between their armies to the quadrilateral Malabar naval wargames with Australia and Japan. India is now set to host the next edition of Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal in Oct, amid China’s expanding strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region, as was first reported by TOI.
As part of the expansive bilateral defence partnership, the US has also bagged lucrative Indian defence deals worth over $21 billion just since 2007. Two major projects in the pipeline now are the around $3 billion procurement of 31 armed MQ-9B Predator or Reaper drones and the joint production of GE-F414 jet engines for the Tejas Mark-II fighters in India, with 80% transfer of technology for around $1 billion.
