Army concludes joint exercise with US

The exercise, conducted from September 1 to 14 at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, brought together around 450 personnel of the Indian Army, led by a battalion of the Madras Regiment, with soldiers of the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division.

The exercise saw command post exercises with Indian and American officers worked side by side on operational planning, command and control, and coordination across brigade and battalion levels. This was followed by field training in challenging sub-arctic terrain, including drills and manoeuvres, specialist training such as sniper and recce, laying of obstacles and demolitions.

The exercise also included live-fire activities, during which artillery units from both sides conducted joint firing. This was supplemented by mortar live-fire exercises that tested coordination in fire control and communications in a demanding terrain.

Infantry units, artillery, aviation, electronic warfare and counter-drone systems were also employed under the joint command and control.

The ‘Exercise Yudh Abhyas’ started in 2002, when it began as a platoon-level exercise focused on peacekeeping. It has steadily grown in scale and complexity, alternating between locations in the two countries. Today, it represents one of the most advanced and largest bilateral exercises conducted by India.