AULI/JOSHIMATH: The ongoing joint India US exercise Yudh Abhyas reached the validation stage on Tuesday. Both the armies shared ground application methods, operational tactics and military philosophy.
The joint exercise had started with the acclimatisation process at Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand on November 15. It will last till December 2.
Brigadier Pankaj Verma, Indian contingent exercise director, said, “We share best practices with each other while doing our skill development and we also go on to validate the particular exercises during the field exercise which actually begins tonight.”
The Yudh Abhyas is an annual exercise which is conducted between the US and Indian armies.
Brigadier Verma that the aim of the exercise is to learn from each other the best practices, to enhance the TTPs (Tactics, techniques and procedures). “In doing this particular exercise we basically exercise and validate integrated battle groups which are going for various peacekeeping operations under Chapters 6 and 7 of the UN mandate.”
India has built the Foreign Training Node at Auli which is 100 km from LAC with China. Speaking to this newspaper, the US Army Specialist Solonko said, “The beginning of the exercise was tough due to the high altitude but things have become better now.” We are exchanging the best practices and are trying to adopt whatever is best with the Indian Army and also are sharing that which is our strength, added Solonko.
Brig Verma further stated that the HADR has been the main focus of this edition of the exercise. “We have validated our columns for swift deployment which were integrated in nature to reach out to inaccessible areas and help out the needy to extricate from positions which are not reachable due to difficult locations using our skills our combat medicals and off course our logisticians to extricate them to safer places and move them to better tertiary hospitals.
“Besides this, we have also undertaken the command post exercise, the command post exercise deals with the staff engagement between officers and men of both the armies. They spell out a cohesive and mature course of action which can be followed by an integrated battle group to engage into any peacekeeping operations and provide the commanders a mature and very well-informed information so that it can operate in an ambiguous situation.”