Shakti: India-France joint military exercise commences in Meghalaya

The seventh version of India-France Joint Military Exercise Shakti commenced on Monday, at Umroi, in a totally developed and trendy Foreign Training Node in Meghalaya.

The exercise is scheduled to be carried out from thirteenth to twenty sixth May 2024.

The Opening Ceremony of the joint exercise was attended by Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India and Major General Prasanna Sudhakar Joshi, General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area.

Exercise Shakti is a biennial coaching occasion carried out alternatively in India and France. Last version was carried out in France in November 2021.

Indian contingent comprising 90 personnel is being represented primarily by a Battalion of the RAJPUT Regiment in addition to personnel from different arms and providers. Observers from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force will even kind a part of the exercise.

The French contingent comprising 90 personnel will probably be represented primarily by personnel from the thirteenth Foreign Legion Half- Brigade (thirteenth DBLE).

Aim of Exercise Shakti is to reinforce joint military functionality of either side to undertake multi-domain operations in a Sub Conventional situation beneath Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate.

The joint exercise will give attention to operations in the semi-urban and mountainous terrain.

Objectives to be achieved from the joint coaching are excessive diploma of bodily health, rehearsing and refining drills for operations at tactical degree and sharing of greatest practices.

Tactical drills to be practiced throughout the Exercise will embody response to a terrorist motion of capturing an outlined territory, institution of a Joint Command Post, institution of an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, securing of a helipad/ touchdown web site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon & Search Operations in addition to employment of drones and counter drone methods amongst others.

Exercise Shakti will allow the 2 sides to share their greatest practices in Tactics, Techniques and Procedures of conducting joint operations.

The joint exercise will facilitate growing inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between armed forces personnel of the 2 international locations.

This will even improve the extent of defence cooperation, additional fostering bilateral relations between the 2 pleasant nations.