Army troops of India, Seychelles all set for 10-day mega exercise

New Delhi, March 17

The Indian Army will carry out a 10-day mega war game with troops of Seychelles at a military facility in the island nation to boost “collaborative partnership” against the backdrop of common concerns over China’s growing muscle-flexing in the Indian Ocean.

Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills, the Army said on Sunday.

The Seychelles is a strategically located archipelago of around 115 islands in the Indian Ocean region and India has been focusing on significantly ramping up defence cooperation with the country.

An Indian Army contingent comprising 45 personnel, which will participate in the exercise ‘Lamitiye’, departed for Seychelles on Sunday. An equal number of troops from the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) will join the exercise.

“The exercise will contribute immensely in developing mutual understanding and magnify jointness between the troops of both the armies. It will also foster collaborative partnership and help in sharing best practices between the two sides,” the Army said in a readout. It said the aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability in sub-conventional operations in semi-urban environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on peacekeeping operations.