US and Indian armies train together in Alaska

The annual Yudh Abhyas bilateral training exercises, jointly held by the US Army and the Indian Army, have been underway in and around Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The 19th edition of the exercises began on 25 September and will conclude on 8 October.

Yudh Abhyas 23 has been aimed at improving the combined interoperability of the Indian Army and the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division for conventional, complex and future contingencies throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

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This year’s exercise has been held under the theme ‘Employment of an Integrated Battle Group in Mountain/Extreme Climatic Conditions’ under Chapter VII of the United Nations mandate.

The Indian Army has 350 personnel participating, including soldiers from the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment. The 11th Airborne Division’s 1-24 Infantry Battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team is taking part in the exercises.

Both sides have planned to work on a wide spectrum of combat skills, including combat engineering, obstruction clearance, and mine and improvised explosive devices (IED) warfare.

The scope of the field training exercise has been confirmed to include validation of integrated battle groups against hostile forces at the brigade level; integrated surveillance grid at the brigade/battalion level; employment of heliborne/airborne elements and force multipliers; validation of logistics and casualty management during operations; evacuation and combat medical aid; and other aspects applicable to operations in high-altitude areas and extreme climatic conditions.