New Delhi: India and the United States are conducting the 22nd edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas, with this year's iteration introducing a significant new feature—the two armies will train across two vastly different operational theatres in a single exercise.
The exercise begins at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan before the participating contingents move to Auli in Uttarakhand, near India's Line of Actual Control with China.
Follow Defence Watch on LinkedIN
The two-phase format is designed to expose troops to contrasting battlefield conditions.
The Rajasthan phase provides an environment for open manoeuvre, long-range fires and desert operations, while the Himalayan phase will focus on the challenges of high altitude, difficult terrain and logistics.
This allows both armies to exchange tactics and operational practices across environments that demand very different approaches to mobility, firepower and sustainment.
Yudh Abhyas has evolved considerably since its first edition in 2004, becoming one of the key pillars of India-US Army-to-Army cooperation.
Previous editions have incorporated areas such as mountain warfare, artillery and aviation integration, electronic warfare, surveillance, unmanned systems, counter-drone operations and casualty evacuation.
The repeated exercises are aimed at building interoperability, tactical familiarity and trust, allowing both forces to operate more effectively alongside each other during potential contingencies.
The exercise also carries significance beyond bilateral military training.
The US and India increasingly view interoperability between their armed forces as an important component of a free and open Indo-Pacific, while India continues to maintain its strategic autonomy and independent defence partnerships.
Training US and Indian troops in both desert and Himalayan environments also gives the exercise a distinctly Indian operational context.
(Defence Watch– India’s Defence News centre that places the spotlight on Defence Manufacturing, Defence Technology, Strategy and Military affairs is on Twitter. Follow us here and stay updated.)