Military Exercises
Defence GK · सैन्य अभ्यास
📋Quick Overview
India conducts bilateral and multilateral military exercises with over 50 countries annually. These exercises build interoperability, share best practices, and strengthen strategic partnerships. The exercises cover Army, Navy, and Air Force domains. Malabar Naval Exercise (with USA and Japan, since 1992) is India's oldest bilateral naval exercise and now includes Australia as well.
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Mnemonic for India-USA exercises: 3 service exercises — Yudh Abhyas (Army), Malabar (Navy), Air Warrior (Air Force). QUAD countries (India-USA-Japan-Australia) all participate in Malabar.
📖India-USA Military Exercises
| Exercise Name | Service | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Yudh Abhyas | Army | Counter-terrorism and combat operations; one of longest-running bilateral exercises |
| Vajra Prahar | Special Forces (Army) | Counter-terrorism, special operations by Para SF + US Special Forces |
| Malabar | Navy (+ Japan + Australia) | Naval combat, submarine warfare, anti-piracy; 1992 onwards; Quad Exercise |
| Tiger Triumph | Tri-Services (Amphibious) | Humanitarian assistance, disaster relief; tri-service first for India-USA |
| Air Warrior / Cope India | Air Force | Air combat training; USA-India fighter pilots dogfight exercise |
📖Key Bilateral Exercises with Other Countries
| Country | Army Exercise | Navy Exercise | Air Force Exercise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Indra | RUSKIND / Indra (Naval) | Avia Indra |
| France | Shakti | Varuna | Garuda |
| UK | Ajeya Warrior | Konkan | Indradhanush |
| Japan | Dharma Guardian | JIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise) | Shinyuu Maitri |
| Australia | Austrahind / Maitree Shield | AUSINDEX | Pitch Black (multilateral) |
| Sri Lanka | Mitra Shakti | SLINEX | – |
| Israel | – | – | Baz Prahar / Hazerim |
| Mongolia | Nomadic Elephant | – | – |
| Nepal | Surya Kiran | – | – |
📝Multilateral Exercises
- •MILAN: Multilateral naval exercise hosted by India every 2 years (since 1995); 40+ navies
- •SCO Peace Mission: Multilateral counter-terrorism exercise among SCO member states
- •Tasman Saber: Australia-USA-India trilateral exercise
- •Exercise Shakti Mitra: ASEAN multilateral defence exercise with India
- •ADMM Plus: ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus — includes India as a Plus country