Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2016

•  As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise, ‘Yudh Abhyas 2016’ started in Uttarakhand.
• It is a series of one of the longest running joint military training and a major ongoing bilateral defence cooperation endeavours between India and the US. It is the 12th edition of the joint military exercise hosted alternately by the two countries.
• The exercise is aimed at simulating a scenario where both nations were working together to counter insurgency and terrorism in mountainous terrain under UN charter.
• The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants are initially made to get familiar with each other’s organisational structure, weapons, equipment and tactical drills, the official said.
• Subsequently, the training advances to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies are coherently unleashed.
• The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries will jointly carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic setting.

India AND US joint military exercise

• Malabar: It is Naval exercise takes place in India and U.S. alternatively
• Red flag: It is Air Force exercise takes place in only in Nevada Desert of U.S.
• Cope: Its Army exercise in U.S

Analysis:

• The US has emerged as the largest supplier of arms to India, surpassing Russia and Israel, thanks largely to its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Programme, under which the MoD buys military equipment following the procedure laid down by the US.
• India and the U.S. have agreed “in principle” on a logistics support agreement — the first proposed in 2004 and resisted by the UPA government for a decade — that would make it easier for both militaries to share each other’s facilities.
• U.S. Congress introduced a resolution, the U.S.-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act, which places India on a par with its NATO allies in terms of trade and technology transfer, specifically elevating its status as a defence export market.
• If India is guided by its “Act East” policy and the U.S. by its “Asia-Pacific rebalance”, then it should hardly be a surprise that both countries converge strongly on the question of safeguarding maritime security in the South China Sea.
• It is probably a universal truth that not only the U.S. but every other nation seeking to partner with India must appreciate that India may gladly offer a strategic handshake, but it will only be one handshake among many.

By: Vishal