India, U.S. Armies to Conduct Nine Joint Land Exercises

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Indo-US military exchanges have reached an all time high considering the number of joint military exercises both countries are committing to in 2010-2011. While the Indian and US armies will undertake nine joint exercises in India, the air forces and the navies of both the nations are also chalking out similar programmes for this year.

The joint exercises or ‘wargames’ will revolve around battle scenarios as well as battlefield tactics. In the nine joint drills between the two nations this year, the types of forces that will be involved will cover the mechanised infantry, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) detection and disposal squads, artillery, aviation and psychological operations.

The joint exercises will also consist of amphibious operations wherein the US Marines, the Indian Navy and a brigade of the Indian Army will take part in landing operations from the sea.

The joint drills between India and the US were decided during a meeting in India of the Executive Steering Group (ESG), attended by the top brass of the Indian Army as well as the US Army Pacific, Marine Forces Pacific and the Special Operations Command.

India conducts the maximum number of joint military drills with the US, and the growing alliance is making their operations reach a highly advanced level. While India is keen to gain the practical experience of learning through military wargames, their US conterparts are also particularly interested in gaining from the expertise that India has in terms of various operations like IED detection and other valuable military knowledge that India possesses due to its constant counter-insurgency and other sensitive border operations.

The ESG is one of the committees under the India-US defence policy group (DPG). The DPG is headed by the Indian Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and was formed in 2005 as part of a ten year defence programme between India and the US.

During the last DPG meeting held in India in November 2009, it was clear that Indo-US strategic defence ties will become stronger since both countries had decided to conduct bigger military engagement in 2010-2011. During the joint drills in 2009-10, India and the US carried out two major exercises separately involving the air force and army.

The US Air Force brought its big transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force Base in Agra and the US army troops took part in an armoured exercise with the Indian army personnel in the north Indian town of Babina. It was the biggest deployment of US armoured vehicles, Strykers, outside Iraq and Afghanistan.

This programme was called ‘Yudh Abhyas’ and held in Babina in central India where the multi-role ground operations vehicles were brought in by the US.

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