Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 4: A massive military exercise spanning more than two weeks will be conducted by India and the US in Auli, Uttarakhand, in light of the rapidly changing regional security environment in October.
The dates for the 18th iteration of the exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ are set for October 14 to October 31, according to sources in the defence and military establishment on Wednesday. The mammoth exercise would include a lot of intricate manoeuvres, they claimed. The last iteration of the exercise was held in Alaska, United States, in October 2021.
According to the sources, the exercise aims to improve communication, coordination, and interoperability between the US and Indian militaries.
The ongoing border dispute between India and China in eastern Ladakh is in the background as the ‘Yudh Abhyas’ drill is taking place.The last few years have seen an improvement in Indo-US defence relations. The United States named India a ‘Major Defense Partner’ in June 2016.
Over the past few years, the two nations have also signed significant defence and security agreements, such as the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, which permits their militaries to use each other’s bases for supply repair and replenishment as well as fortifies deeper cooperation.
Additionally, in 2018, the two sides agreed to the COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement), which enables military cooperation between the two nations and permits the sale of advanced technology from the US to India.
To strengthen their mutual defence cooperation, India and the US signed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) in October 2020.The agreement calls for the exchange of sophisticated military equipment, logistics, and geospatial maps between the two nations.
