Yudh Abhyas Army Exercise Between USA and India

Yudh Abhyas army exercise is an annual joint military exercise between India and United States, with the first exercise conducted in 2016. The 17th edition of the Yudh Abhyas army exercise was conducted in Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, from 25 to 28 October 2021. The word Yudh Abhyas is formed from two Sanskrit words (Yuddha meaning war and Abhyasa meaning practice). The Military Exercise Yudh Abhyas aimed to strengthen interoperability between the armies of both nations. It also aims to promote strategic, tactical, and technical proficiency in counter-insurgency operations under a UN mandate. 

Overview of Yudh Abhyas Army Exercise:

Initiated in the year 2016, Yudh Abhyas is a 15 days long annual exercise of the US military with the Indian Army. The word Yudh Abhyas is formed from two Sanskrit words (Yuddha meaning war and Abhyasa meaning practice). It is aimed to strengthen interoperability between the armies of both nations. It also aims to promote strategic, tactical, and technical proficiency in counter-insurgency operations under a UN mandate.

The US Army contingent was led by Commander, Pacific Air Forces from 20th Air Force at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBRE).

Objectives of Yudh Abhyas army exercise between USA and India:

• To strengthen the interoperability of the armies of both nations.
• To promote strategic, tactical, and technical proficiency in counter-insurgency operations under a UN mandate.
• To provide an opportunity for both nations to share best practices in training and equipping their armed forces to fight terrorism.
• To develop enduring relationships between the armies of both countries.
• To enhance strategic stability by enhancing military-to-military cooperation, operational understanding, and capability development.
• To foster friendly relations by exchanging and learning from each other’s experiences.
• To build upon the themes of peace, humanity, environment, global and national security, defence effectiveness, and resilience.
• To enhance cooperation in the fields of defence manufacturing, engineering, logistics, etc.

Key facts about Yudh Abhyas Army Exercise:

• The Yudh Abhyas is a joint exercise between the armies of both countries.
• The first Yudh Abhyas army exercise was conducted in 2016.
• This will be the 17th edition of Yudh Abhyas, which started in 2016.
• The training period for this edition of Yudh Abhyas was six weeks, and it ended on October 28, 2021.
• It involved participants from both India and US, including service, intelligence, and civilian nationalities from each country.
• The participants helped in deriving lessons learned and building upon joint interoperability.
• Yudh Abhyas comprises both live and virtual scenarios.
• It includes field exercises and culmination training at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBRE) in Alaska, which will be held in October 2021.
• It also included a Peace Support Operation Exercise which was conducted in the National Mission Forces Training Center, Mhow, from September 24 to October 9, 2021.
• In this exercise, 60 NEMOs participated from India and around 40 personnel from the US.
• This exercise was held to improve the capabilities of NEMOs against a threat environment.

Benefits of the Yudh Abhyas Army Exercise:

• The primary benefit of Yudh Abhyas’s army exercises is the enhanced mutual understanding and trust between the two countries.
• This will increase interoperability between the armies of both countries.
• It also increases cooperation in areas including political, economic, and military cooperation.
• These exercises will act as a platform for sharing best practices and developing enduring relationships between the armies of both nations.
• The exercises are also important to maintain a positive peace & security environment in the region.
• The exercises are beneficial for enhancing strategic stability, which is essential for defence.
• The exercises will help build upon the themes of peace, humanity, environment, global and national security, defence effectiveness, and resilience.
• They also act as a platform to exchange and learn from each other’s experiences in combat operations.
• It will also enhance cooperation in the fields of defence manufacturing, engineering, logistics etc.
• It also acts as a platform to bridge the gaps between the different armed forces of both countries.

India-US Defence Cooperation

The US is one of the top arms suppliers to India, and these cooperations in defence will increase the strength of India’s armed forces. India’s defence cooperation is beneficial for enhancing strategic stability, which is essential for defence.

The exercises will help build upon the themes of peace, humanity, environment, global and national security, defence effectiveness, and resilience.

They also act as a platform to exchange and learn from each other’s experiences in combat operations. It will also enhance cooperation in the fields of defence manufacturing, engineering, logistics, etc.

Conclusion: 

Yudh Abhyas’s army exercises are expected to strengthen and reaffirm the relationship between India and US. This will also have a positive impact on regional peace and security in the long run.

These amry exercises are beneficial for enhancing strategic stability, which is essential for defence. The exercises will help to build upon the themes of peace, humanity, environment, global and national security, defence effectiveness, and resilience. India-US Defence Cooperation acts as a platform to exchange and learn from each other’s experiences in combat operations. It will also enhance cooperation in the fields of defense manufacturing, engineering, logistics, etc.