New Delhi: India and the US have successfully concluded the 18th edition of joint military exercise 'Yudh Abhyas'. The exercise led to greater synergy and interoperability between both the armies in peace keeping and disaster relief operations.
On Wednesday, the Chinese foreign ministry opposed the "Yudh Abhyas" exercise at Auli in Uttarakhand, claiming that it violates border agreements signed by China and India in 1993 and 1996. The exercise has been successfully completed despite the opposition from China.
The US Embassy in India said in a tweet on Saturday that the joint military exercise like Yudh Abhyas reinforces "our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, improves interoperability, and takes the US-India Defence partnership to new heights".
"Congratulations to @USArmy & @adgpi for successfully concluding the 18th edition of #YudhAbhyas," it said.
The Indian Army also talked about the greater synergy between the both the armies as a result of the exercise.
"'Till We Meet Again' The Joint Exercise of #IndianArmy and #USArmy, #YudhAbhyas 2022 culminated today. The exercise resulted in greater synergy and interoperability between both the Armies in Peace Keeping and Disaster Relief Operations," ADG PI-Indian Army said in a tweet on December 2.
"Women Soldiers of #IndianArmy & #USArmy train together exchanging best practices while operating under UN mandate," it added.
What is 'Yudh Abhyas'?
Excercise Yudh Abhyas, which is conducted annually between India and USA with the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures between the Armies of the two nations, was held in Uttarakhand. The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the Assam Regiment participated in the exercise.
The training schedule focused on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
The schedule included all operations related to peace keeping and peace enforcement. The troops from both nations worked together to achieve common objectives. The joint exercise also focused on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Troops from both nations practiced launching of swift and coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity.
The exercise involved exchanges and practices on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, employment of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Counter-UAS techniques and information operations The exercise will facilitate both armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange.
