India-US joint 'Yudh Abhyas' to be conducted in Uttarakhand this month

New Delhi, Nov 15

The 18th edition of the India-US joint training exercise "YUDH ABHYAS 22" will be held in Uttarakhand this month.

'Yudh Abhyas' is conducted annually between India and the US with the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures between the armies of the two nations.

American soldiers from the 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian soldiers from the Assam Regiment will be participating in the exercise, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The training schedule will focus on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate. The schedule will include all operations related to peacekeeping and peace enforcement.

The troops from both the nations will work together to achieve common objectives. The exercise will also focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. The troops will practice launching swift and coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity, informed the ministry.

In order to derive full benefit from the professional skills and experiences of both the armies, a Command Post Exercise and Expert Academic Discussions (EAD) on carefully selected topics will be carried out. The scope of the Field Training Exercise includes validation of integrated battle groups, force multipliers, establishment and functioning of surveillance grids, validation of operational logistics, mountain warfare skills, casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climatic conditions.

The exercise will involve exchanges and practices on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, employment of UAS/Counter UAS techniques and information operations. It will facilitate both armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.