List of Joint Military Exercises of the Indian Army

On 8th February, the Yudh-Abhyas exercise which is an Indo-US joint military exercise commenced in Rajasthan. Similar to this, there are various other Indian army exercises, information of which is important for the IAS Exam.

India is playing an enormous interest in establishing a relationship with various countries around the globe. Integration of the military exercises is an unavoidable obligation for the contemporary combat zone. The joint military is essential for the cooperation of countries apart from economic cooperation and the prevailing hard situation.

The absence of cooperation in the military field in the Indian armed forces received a motivation post-Kargil. The most significant benefit of joint military exercises is ‘strategic signalling’.

This is an important concept for many major government exams, including the UPSC IAS exam.

Indian Military Exercises

The Indian military exercises can be segregated into 3 categories:

  1. Domestic exercise
  2. Bilateral Exercise
  3. Multilateral exercise

Domestic exercise – This exercise aims to improve internal engagements and there can be inter-services or intra-services depending on nature and its application.

List of military domestic exercises:

  1. Gandiv Vijay
  2. Paschim Lehar
  3. Vayu Shakti
  4. Vijay Prahar

Bilateral exercise – These exercises are conducted between two countries.

The following table provides you with a list of important Indian bilateral army exercises.

Exercise Name Participant Nations
Sampriti India & Bangladesh
Mitra Shakti India & Sri Lanka
Maitree Exercise India & Thailand
Vajra Prahar India & US
Yudh Abhyas India & US
Nomadic Elephant India & Mongolia
Garuda Shakti India & Indonesia
Shakti Exercise India & France
Dharma Guardian India & Japan
Surya Kiran India & Nepal
Hand in Hand Exercise India & China
SIMBEX India & Singapore
Shakti Exercise India & France
CORPAT India & Thailand

Multilateral exercise – These exercises are conducted by the military including more than one partner nation.

List of major multilateral exercises conducted by the military are given below:

Multilateral exercise No of Participating countries
RIMPAC 26
MALABAR 3
COBRA-GOLD Asia – Pacific countries
Samvedna South Asian Region Nations

Latest Important Military Exercises – 2022

The table given below mentions the latest editions of all the important military exercises of India with other nations. CSE exam aspirants must refer to the details discussed below:

Exercise name Country participated with India Latest Date/Year/Edition Held at
Al Nagah-III Oman
  • 12th March 2019
  • 3rd Edition
Jabal AL Akhdar training camp, Oman
Bold Kurukshetra Singapore
  • 9th April 2019
  • 12th Edition
Babina Military Station in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh
Ekuverin Maldives
  • 7th October 2019
  • 10th Edition
Pune, Maharashtra
Garuda Shakti IV Indonesia
  • 19th February 2018
  • 6th Edition
Bandung, Indonesia
Hand in Hand China
  • 7th December 2019
  • 8th Edition
Umroi, Meghalaya
Indra Russia
  • 4th September 2020
  • 11th Edition
Andaman Sea
Khanjar V Kyrgyzstan
  • 16th March 2019
  • 5th Edition
Vairengte in Mizoram
Lamitye Seychelles
  • 2018
  • 8th Edition
Mahe Island in Seychelles 
Maitree Thailand
  • 16th September 2019
  • 14th Edition
Umroi, Meghalaya
Mitra Shakti-VII Sri Lanka
  • 1st December 2019
  • 7th Edition
Pune, Maharashtra
Multi-national FTX/Exercise Force Eighteen 18 ASEAN Plus countries
  • 2nd March 2016
Pune, India
Nomadic Elephant Mongolia
  • 5th October 2019
  • 14th Edition
Bakloh Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh
Prabal Dostyk Kazakhstan
  • 2nd November 2017
  • Second Edition
Himachal Pradesh
Sampriti-IX Bangladesh
  • 3rd February 2020
  • 9th Edition
Umroi, Meghalaya
Surya Kiran XIV Nepal
  • 3rd December 2019
  • 14th Edition
Saljhandi, Nepal
Yudh Abhyas United States
  • 8th February 2021
  • 16th Edition
Rajasthan

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Facts About Indian Army for UPSC

The table below gives a few important and interesting facts about the Indian Army for the UPSC Exam:

Indian Army
Indian Army is the world’s largest ground force, overtaking China
There are approximately 1.4 million personnel in the Indian Army
The largest standing volunteer army in the world is Indian Army with 1,129,900 Active personnel and 960,000 Reserves
There are recruiting zones in the country for the purpose of recruitment in the Indian Army
The headquarters of Indian Army is in New Delhi

  • The first headquarters of Indian Army – Red Fort, Delhi
  • Today – Portions of South Block along with a gigantic, architecturally modern Sena Bhavan adjacent.
In India, command headquarters is known as Field Army with a General Officer Commanding-in-Chief presiding over matters in the rank of a (three-star) Lieutenant General.
The head of the Indian Army staff is called the Chief of Army Staff (COAS.)

  • The current Army Chief is General Manoj Mukund Naravane
  • Earlier, General Bipin Rawat was the Indian Army Chief
Indian Army also has Vice Chief and two Deputy Chiefs of Army Staff
In the Indian Army, corps are the field force. They are of two types – Holding Corps and Strike Corps

List of Indian Army Exercises – UPSC Notes:-Download PDF Here

Largely, the topic, India Army Exercises, is covered under bilateral relations of India, and also under the security section of the IAS Syllabus of GS 2 and GS 3 respectively. Hence, aspirants should remember the names of these exercises while writing any answer that involves either of these sections.

Also, refer to the previous year IAS Topper list and get inspired and  motivated from their success stories.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joint Military Exercises of the Indian Army

Q1

Why are Joint Military exercises between armies important?

A military exercise involving two or more nations is a measure to test the performance of the armed forces without engaging in the battlefield. These are useful in case of joint military operations be it in war or in operations other than war such as disaster relief, and humanitarian aid.
Q2

What is Vajra Prahar?

Vajra Prahar’ is a Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US to share the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics as also to improve interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations.

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Related Links:

NCERT Notes for UPSC UPSC Books
UPSC 2022 UPSC FAQ
IAS Questions & Answers IAS Eligibility
Static GK Articles UPSC Calendar 2022

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