Exercise/Operation in News November 2024

Name

Type

Participants

Brief Description

GARUD SHAKTI 24

Bilateral Joint Special Forces Exercise

India-Indonesia

1. 9^th edition held in Cijantung, Jakarta, Indonesia.  –
2. Focus: Enhancing military cooperation and interoperability. 
3. Activities include joint operations, counter-terrorism drills, and cultural exchanges.

VAJRA PRAHAR 2024

Joint Special Forces Exercise

India-US

1. 15^th edition (Conducted annually) held at Orchard Combat Training Centre, Idaho, USA. 
2. Focus: Tactical drills, reconnaissance missions, and special operations using UAS.
3. Objectives: Enhance military cooperation and promote interoperability and tactical exchange.

Poorvi Prahar

Tri-Services Exercise

Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force

1. High-intensity exercise in Arunachal Pradesh's forward areas.
2. Features advanced military platforms like Chinook helicopters and M777 howitzers.
3. Focus: Integrated Joint Operations in challenging terrains.

Sanyukt Vimochan 2024

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise

Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, NDRF, SDRF, other Central & State Agencies, and 15 organizations from 9 friendly foreign countries

1. Focus: It focussed on the theme of 'Cyclone in Coastal Region of Gujarat'.
2. Objective: To showcase India's readiness for disaster response
3. Indigenous Capabilities: The exercise featured the use of indigenous HADR equipment like fire-resistant clothing, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Bharat National Cyber Security Exercise 2024

Cybersecurity Exercise

Cybersecurity professionals, CISOs, and Indian startups

1. 12-day exercise aimed at enhancing India's cybersecurity resilience.
2. Features include live-fire simulations, cyber defense training, strategic decision-making, and a cybersecurity startup exhibition.

AUSTRAHIND

Joint Military Exercise

India-Australia

1. 3^rd edition (conducted annually) held at the Foreign Training Node, Maharashtra.
2. Focus: Counterterrorism and joint operations in semi-urban and semi-desert terrain.
3. Other joint exercises: AUSINDEX (Naval), PITCHBLACK (Air).

Antariksha Abhyas 2024

Space Exercise

Defence Space Agency (Ministry of Defence)

1. India’s 1^st space exercise held in New Delhi.
2. Objective: Simulating threats to space assets and securing national strategic objectives.
3. Focus: Enhancing the integration of space capability into military operations, identifying vulnerabilities and handling disruptions
4. Military Use of Space: Detecting border infiltration, artillery movements, missile launches
5. India’s Capability: ASAT test under Mission Shakti (2019).
6. Regulation: Outer Space Treaty (outer space should be used only for peaceful operations)

VINBAX 2024

Bilateral Military Exercise

India-Vietnam (Army and Air Force)

1. 5^th edition held in Ambala, Haryana.
2. Focus: Deployment of Engineer & Medical teams for UN Peacekeeping Operations under Chapter VII.
3. Includes HADR demonstration and cultural exchanges.

1. Private spaceflight to the ISS with two Indian astronauts using the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft (reusable spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket)
2. Focus: Commercial space initiatives, diverse multinational crew, emphasising global cooperation and R&D in microgravity.
3. Duration: 14 days aboard ISS for experiments and technology demonstrations.