Indo-US joint military exercise 'Vajra Prahar'

• The 12-day long joint military exercise between India and the United States known as 'Vajra Prahar' commenced in Jaipur.
• A contingent of the United States Pacific Commander arrived at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges for undertaking Joint training with the Indian Special Forces.
• The US contingent comprises of one officer and 10 other ranks from the Special Forces Group, informed Rajasthan Defence PRO Lt Col Sombhit Ghosh. The United States Special Forces will carry out rigorous joint training in semi-desert and rural terrain to enhance the interoperability of the two armed forces and further the military to military co-operation.
• The contingents will train on different aspects including hostage rescue, building intervention, desert survival, medical aid and combat firing. Lastly, the Special Forces will undertake a three-day outdoor exercise to validate their practices. Aa

Analysis:

• In the domain of international relations, military diplomacy has, in recent years, emerged as a major tool to further diplomatic interests of nations. Participation in international level military exercises is an indication of the highest level of trust and confidence between the member nations. It is a key confidence building measure (CBM) and an indication of the faith reposed by India on another nation or a group of member nations.
• On the operational side, military exercises enable militaries to understand each other’s drills and procedures, overcome language barriers, and facilitate familiarisation with equipment capabilities. It also facilitates understanding and familiarisation with new technologies that other countries may be utilising and enables on-the-job training of each other’s crews. This is particularly useful in the event of joint operations whether in war or in operations other than war (OOTW) - humanitarian aid, disaster relief, anti-piracy, etc – when nations come together for a common cause. A fine example was the aid assistance provided by a host of nations during the tsunami in South East Asia where a massive land, air and sea rescue effort was successfully executed to provide relief to the affected countries.
• Perhaps, the most important advantage of joint military exercises is ‘strategic signalling’. A joint exercise with one or more nations serves the purpose of signalling to a third country of the influence we have in the region and a demonstration of our resolve to further our diplomatic objectives.
• On the intangible side, military exercises promote brotherhood and camaraderie between soldiers and militaries. Besides goodwill, it is a tool for projection of a nation’s soft power – culture, language, customs, beliefs, food habits and lifestyle. Soldiers all over the world have almost similar rank and organisational structures, which helps establish a unique spirit of bonding and friendship between their communities irrespective of the country of origin.

By: Vishal