Indian and American troops have gathered at Fort Wainwright in Alaska for Yudh Abhyas, a two-week military exercise that underlines their steady strategic and defence ties despite the strain in relations between Delhi and Washington over the issue of tariffs, India’s purchase of Russian oil and a trade deal that has hit roadblocks.
At the 21st edition of Yudh Abhyas, the annual joint military exercise from September 1 to 14, the Indian contingent, comprising personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment, will train alongside US soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment ‘Bobcats’ of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the troops will rehearse a spectrum of tactical drills, including heliborne operations, the employment of surveillance resources and unmanned aerial systems, rockcraft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, combat medical aid, and the integrated use of artillery, aviation, and electronic warfare systems.
Subject-matter experts from both armies will conduct working groups on critical domains, including UAS and Counter-UAS operations, information warfare, communications, and logistics.
The exercise will conclude in jointly planned and executed tactical manoeuvres, ranging from live-fire exercises to high-altitude warfare scenarios, with a focus on improving capabilities for UN peacekeeping operations and strengthening preparedness for multi-domain challenges, the Ministry said.
The annual bilateral exercise in the backdrop of ongoing tariff tensions indicates no visible dip in military ties between the two countries despite President Donald Trump flagging that India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia and little from the US.
The bilateral exercise comes within a week of the US submarine support ship USS Frank Cable visiting Chennai on a scheduled port visit — the Military Sealift Command’s second to the region in two years.
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Frank Cable provides expeditionary maintenance, services and logistics support to deployed submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.
In August last year, both countries signed a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers, among other bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation.
The vision for bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the September 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship, in which the two countries committed themselves to increasing cooperation in the sector.
Between 2016 and 2020, the two sides signed four more agreements, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020.
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Big-ticket Indian military procurements from the US include MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters, Sig Sauer rifles, and M777 ultra-light howitzers.
Negotiations are underway to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA MK 2 fighters, and a deal was signed last year between the two countries to procure 31 MQ-9B High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAVs. Deliveries of the GE-F404 engines for the LCA Tejas Mark-1A are underway.
