Hello, Warriors! We recently saw the first-ever India-Australia joint naval exercise, AUSINDEX held at Vizag, strengthening Indo-Oz Naval ties. It had not been long since then and ‘Yudh Abhyas’ has started, the India-US annual exercise. The annual bilateral exercise which kicked off on September 9th and runs through September 23rd, focuses on combined US and Indian army training while promoting an enduring partnership and joint interoperability. Participating soldiers will train in low-intensity, counterinsurgency actions, civic assistant missions and quick reaction team operations. There will also be a combined command post exercise.
Here is what you need to know about the Yudh Abhyas 2015, according to reports:
- The India-US Combined Military Training Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2015 will commence from 09 to 23 Sep 2015 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, USA.
- Yudh Abhyas is now in its eleventh year which started in 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership program. The United States and India alternate between hosting the exercise. In even-numbered years, the exercise is held in India. In odd-numbered years, the exercise is held in the United States.
- For many years, the United States hosted Yudh Abhyas in Hawaii. This is the first year it has been held at Joint Base Lewis McChord-JBLM. The previous edition of Yudh Abhyas was held in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand last year between soldiers of the Gurkha Regiment and the Arctic Wolves. Besides, Indian and the US navies and air forces have conducted regular drills.
- Participating in the exercise now, are soldiers from the 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1-23 Infantry Battalion, 593rd Expeditionary Support Command, California National Guard and 100th Troop Command. In all, about 225 American Soldiers will participate, with most coming from the 3-2 SBCT.
- From the Indian army, Soldiers from the 9th Mountain Brigade as well as from the subordinate 6th Kumaon Battalion will participate. About 150 Indian soldiers flew into JBLM aboard a C-17 aircraft to participate in the exercise.
- The two-week Yudh Abhyas includes a brigade-level command post exercise that mimics a United Nations peacekeeping operation; a field-training exercise that is focused on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency; and academic discussions on topics such as regional security, emerging challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Army Operating Concept and amphibious operations.
- The exercise will provide an ideal platform for the personnel of the two countries to share their experiences on Military Operations in Urban Terrain, under the UN mandate.
- Commanders and Staff Officers of both sides will work in close coordination to receive and collate intelligence and to issue suitable operational orders to the combined field training components, who in turn will execute these orders on the ground.
- The exercise curriculum has been planned progressively where the participants will initially be made to get familiar with each others organizational structure, weapons, equipment, and tactical drills. Subsequently, under Joint Tactical Exercises battle drills of both the armies will be rehearsed.
- As the concluding part of the exercise a Consolidation and Validation exercise will be witnessed by senior officers and observers of both Armies, in which troops of both nations will carry out sub-unit level operations in Urban Insurgency and Military Operations in Urban Terrain.
