HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 3: India and Mongolia have started a joint military exercise at Umroi in Meghalaya on Wednesday.
The 16th edition of the exercise, termed ‘Nomadic Elephant,’ will continue until July 16 at the Foreign Training Node in Meghalaya.
Informing this on Wednesday, PRO Defence Lt. Col. Mahendra Rawat said that the Indian contingent, comprising 45 personnel, is represented by a battalion of Sikkim Scouts along with personnel from other arms and services. The Mongolian contingent is represented by personnel from the 150 Quick Reaction Force Battalion of the Mongolian Army.
Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia. The last edition was held in Mongolia in July 2023.
The opening ceremony of Exercise Nomadic Elephant was attended by Ambassador of Mongolia to India Dambajavyn Ganbold and General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area of the Indian Army Major General Prasanna Joshi.
“The aim of the Exercise is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-insurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. The exercise will focus on operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain,” Rawat said.
Tactical drills during the exercise include response to a terrorist action, establishment of a joint command post, establishment of an intelligence & surveillance centre, securing a helipad/landing site, small team insertion & extraction, special heliborne operations, cordon & search operations, besides the deployment of drones and counter-drone systems, among others.
Major General Gyanbyamba Sunrev, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mongolia, is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony on July 16 along with Lieutenant General Zubin A Minwalla, General Officer Commanding 33 Corps of the Indian Army.
“Exercise Nomadic Elephant will enable both sides to share their best practices in tactics, techniques, and procedures of conducting joint operations. The exercise will also facilitate developing interoperability, bonhomie, and camaraderie between the two armies. This will further enhance the level of defence cooperation, augmenting bilateral relations between the two friendly nations,” Rawat added.
Earlier in May, India and France conducted the 7th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Shakti’ at the Umroi Joint Training Node in Meghalaya. The exercise aimed to improve military capabilities, develop camaraderie between the armed forces, and strengthen defence cooperation and bilateral relations. During Exercise Shakti, the Indian contingent included 90 personnel primarily from the Rajput Regiment, along with others from different arms and services.
