Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, held a series of important bilateral engagements with Vice Chiefs and senior military delegation heads of several friendly foreign countries on the sidelines of Exercise PRAGATI 2026. The meetings reflected India’s continued commitment to strengthening regional defence cooperation, military diplomacy and shared security partnerships across the Indian Ocean Region.
The bilateral interactions were held with senior military leaders and delegation heads from Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. These engagements provided a valuable platform for India and partner nations to exchange views on common security challenges, enhance strategic understanding and explore new areas of defence cooperation.
Exercise PRAGATI 2026, formally known as Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region, is the maiden edition of the multilateral military exercise hosted by the Indian Army at Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya. The exercise brought together more than 400 troops from India and friendly foreign countries including Bhutan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos.
The exercise focused on strengthening interoperability, operational coordination and mutual trust among participating armies. It included training in counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain, followed by a 72-hour validation exercise that tested the collective readiness and tactical synergy of the participating forces.
On the sidelines of the exercise, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth’s engagements with senior military leaders underlined India’s growing role as a trusted security partner in the region. The discussions focused on strengthening military-to-military ties, improving interoperability, sharing best practices and identifying future avenues for cooperation in training, capacity-building and regional security.
The interactions also carried wider strategic significance as they reaffirmed India’s commitment to peace, stability and growth in the Indian Ocean Region. With many of the participating nations being important maritime and regional partners, Exercise PRAGATI 2026 served as a platform not only for field-level military training but also for high-level defence diplomacy.
The Indian Army also showcased indigenous defence equipment and niche technologies during the exercise in collaboration with FICCI and the Army Design Bureau. This display highlighted India’s growing defence manufacturing capabilities and provided participating countries an opportunity to witness new-generation equipment and technologies being developed by the Indian defence industry.
The engagements reflected the spirit of partnership, trust and shared purpose among regional armies. By bringing together military leaders and troops from multiple nations, Exercise PRAGATI 2026 has further strengthened India’s defence outreach and reinforced its role as a reliable partner committed to collective security and regional cooperation.
The maiden edition of Exercise PRAGATI 2026 has laid a strong foundation for future editions of the exercise. It has also highlighted India’s vision of working closely with like-minded nations to build a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indian Ocean Region through cooperation, interoperability and mutual respect.
