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Jaipur: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Lieutenant General Deshpande witnessed joint firing during the ongoing India-US military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan on September 24, highlighting the operational cooperation between the two armies. Gor later praised the troops training together, describing the exercise as a reflection of the defence partnership’s “trust, readiness, interoperability, and shared purpose.”
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The joint firing formed part of the 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas, which began on September 15 and is being conducted simultaneously at Mahajan and the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand. Around 600 personnel from each country are participating.
At Mahajan, Indian and US troops have been training across desert terrain through coordinated drills involving small-arms firing, artillery engagements, long-range weapon systems and attack helicopter operations. Recent activities included joint firing and Observation Post training with the M777 Ultra-Light Howitzer, Dhanush artillery gun and Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, alongside L70 air-defence guns and M-LIDS counter-drone systems.
The exercise is intended to strengthen the armies’ ability to plan and conduct coordinated operations, including the employment of Integrated Battle Groups. Training across mountainous and desert environments allows the forces to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while practising battlefield coordination and combined-arms operations. Drones and autonomous systems for surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as discussions on emerging technologies and multi-domain warfare, are also part of this year’s programme.
Yudh Abhyas is an annual bilateral exercise and a key part of India-US Army-to-Army engagement. Its 2026 edition combines high-altitude and desert training, with the exercise scheduled to conclude on September 28.
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