NEW DELHI, OCT 16
The 17th edition of the Indo-US joint training exercise “Ex Yudh Abhyas 21” commenced at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Alaska on Friday.
The 14-day training schedule includes activities on joint training in a counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism environment under a United Nations mandate.
Over 300 US Army soldiers belonging to First Squadron (Airborne) of the 40th cavalry regiment and 350 soldiers of the 7 Madras infantry battalion group of the Indian Army are participating in the exercise.
The joint training exercise commenced with an opening ceremony that saw the unfurling of the national flags of both countries amidst the playing of the national anthems, “Jana Gana Mana” and “The Star Spangled Banner”.
During the opening ceremony, Major General Brian Eifler, Commander of US Army Alaska, formally welcomed the Indian contingent. He urged both contingents to focus on improving cohesion and inter-operability to achieve the training objectives of the exercise.
He also stressed the importance of free exchange of ideas, concepts and best practices between the troops and the necessity to learn from each others’ experiences.
The joint exercise will facilitate both Armies to know each other better, share their wide experiences and enhance their situational awareness through information exchange. This will help them in undertaking joint operations at Battalion level in mountainous terrain with cold climatic conditions under the ambit of United Nations.
