Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026:
The United States Army and Indian Army recently commenced Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, marking the 22nd iteration of the premier annual bilateral training event between the two nations.
- It is the annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the United States Army.
- It focuses on enhancing interoperability, joint operational capabilities, and military cooperation between the two countries.
- 2026 Edition is the 22nd edition of the exercise.
- The first phase is scheduled at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, near the Pakistan border.
- The forces will then move to the high-altitude terrain of Auli in Uttarakhand, close to the Line of Actual Control with China.
- It focuses on high-altitude warfare, long-range precision fires, counter-drone capabilities, and greater operational interoperability.
- It features the deployment of Arctic-trained soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to the high altitudes of India.
- The exercise is bolstered by the participation of the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, introducing advanced long-range precision fires and integrated command-and-control systems to the bilateral framework.
- The drills consist of a command post exercise and a field training exercise, culminating in a combined live-fire demonstration involving U.S. and Indian long-range precision fires and rocket systems.
- Operating under the strategic framework of Operation Pathways, this year’s exercise marks a historic milestone with the first-of-its-kind deployment of advanced counterdrone systems to India.
- The integration of the mobile low, slow, small unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (MLIDS) allows both nations to adapt together to emerging battlefield threats and reinforce regional readiness.
