Army to hone war fighting skills with United States

Special forces from India and the US are all set to test each other’s ability to carry out commando operations on the Himalayan heights next month.

Indian Army commandos will engage with their counterparts from US Special Forces in a 20-day-long mock war game at the Special Forces regiment at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh.
Beginning October 15, exercise “Vajra Prahar” with the US will continue till November 4.

Participation from India will be at platoon level, said Army officers. The objective of the exercise, however, has been kept under wraps.

Exercises with the US Army have become a regular affair for India but the core theme varies each time. “Vajra Prahar” will be the third one in 2012 as it was preceded by “Shatrujit” and “Yudh Abhyas”.

The last exercise, “Shatrujit”, took place in the USA in April where close to 200 Indian troops participated. A month ago, exercise “Yudh Abhyas” took place in Jaisalmer under the South Western Command in which the US fielded its top-notch armoured vehicle Stryker whereas India used its mechanised regiments.

“Vajra Prahar” is preceded by exercise “Maitree” with Thailand in the forests of eastern India. The 15-day exercise focusing on counter-insurgency operations in rural and urban settings began on Tuesday at Ramgarh near Ranchi in Jharkahnd.

While 45 Thai Army personnel, including five officers, are taking part in the exercise, the Indian side is represented by a platoon from the grenadiers. Earlier in the year, Thailand participated in a table top exercise with the Navy and the Thai prime minister was the Guest of Honour at the Republic Day event.