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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.

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 NameServiceFocus
Yudh AbhyasArmyCounter-terrorism and combat operations; one of longest-running bilateral exercises
Vajra PraharSpecial Forces (Army)Counter-terrorism, special operations by Para SF + US Special Forces
MalabarNavy (+ Japan + Australia)Naval combat, submarine warfare, anti-piracy; 1992 onwards; Quad Exercise
Tiger TriumphTri-Services (Amphibious)Humanitarian assistance, disaster relief; tri-service first for India-USA
Air Warrior / Cope IndiaAir ForceAir combat training; USA-India fighter pilots dogfight exercise

📖Key Bilateral Exercises with Other Countries

CountryArmy ExerciseNavy ExerciseAir Force Exercise
RussiaIndraRUSKIND / Indra (Naval)Avia Indra
FranceShaktiVarunaGaruda
UKAjeya WarriorKonkanIndradhanush
JapanDharma GuardianJIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise)Shinyuu Maitri
AustraliaAustrahind / Maitree ShieldAUSINDEXPitch Black (multilateral)
Sri LankaMitra ShaktiSLINEX
IsraelBaz Prahar / Hazerim
MongoliaNomadic Elephant
NepalSurya 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

📝Exam Corner — Most Asked

📝Quick Revision — 15 One-Liners