CHANDIGARH: The US Army contingent on Saturday arrived at the Indian Air Force office in Suratgarh, Rajasthan, to participate in the 16th edition of the joint military exercise ''Yudh Abhyas 20'', which will begin from February 8 to 21.
The Indian Army extended a warm welcome as per military etiquettes to the US Army contingent, followed by an exchange of pleasantries between contingent commanders and soldiers of both armies.
Started in 2004, Exercise YUDH ABHYAS-20 is the sixteenth edition in the series of bilateral exercises under this banner. The last edition of the joint exercise was held at Seattle, USA. The joint exercise would focus on counter-terrorism operations under United Nations mandate.
The defence spokesperson looking after Rajasthan area stated that during the exercise, participants will engage in missions ranging from joint planning, operations, joint tactical drills and will provide field commanders and troops with an opportunity to interact with each other in matters professional.
“The exercise would contribute immensely in promoting bilateral Army to Army relations, enhance interoperability, exchange best practices and experiences between the Indian Army and the US Army. Exercise YudhAbhyas is one of the largest running military training and defence cooperation endeavours between India and US,” the spokesperson added.
A senior army officer related to organizing the exercise informed that the joint exercise is another step forward in the growing Military to Military cooperation between two countries, indicating steady growth in the India-US relations. The joint bilateral exercise is indicative that both India and the US understand the common threat of terrorism and stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the same, said the officer.