List of Joint Military Exercises of the Indian Army

India is playing an enormous interest in establishing a relationship with various countries around the globe. Integration of the military exercises is an unavoidable obligation for the contemporary combat zone. The joint military is essential for the cooperation of countries apart from economic cooperation and the prevailing hard situation.
The absence of cooperation in the military field in the Indian armed forces received a motivation post-Kargil. The most significant benefit of joint military exercises is ‘strategic signalling’.
This is an important concept for many major government exams, including the defence exam
Indian Military Exercises
The Indian military exercises can be segregated into 3 categories:
- Domestic exercise
- Bilateral Exercise
- Multilateral exercise
Domestic exercise – This exercise aims to improve internal engagements and there can be inter-services or intra-services depending on nature and its application.
List of military domestic exercises:
- Gandiv Vijay
- Paschim Lehar
- Vayu Shakti
- Vijay Prahar
Bilateral exercise – These exercises are conducted between two countries.
The following table provides you with a list of important Indian bilateral army exercises.
Exercise Name | Participant Nations |
Sampriti | India & Bangladesh |
Mitra Shakti | India & Sri Lanka |
Maitree Exercise | India & Thailand |
Vajra Prahar | India & US |
Yudh Abhyas | India & US |
Nomadic Elephant | India & Mongolia |
Garuda Shakti | India & Indonesia |
Shakti Exercise | India & France |
Dharma Guardian | India & Japan |
Surya Kiran | India & Nepal |
Hand in Hand Exercise | India & China |
SIMBEX | India & Singapore |
Shakti Exercise | India & France |
CORPAT | India & Thailand |

Multilateral exercise – These exercises are conducted by the military including more than one partner nation.
List of major multilateral exercises conducted by the military are given below:
Multilateral exercise | No of Participating countries |
RIMPAC | 26 |
MALABAR | 3 |
COBRA-GOLD | Asia – Pacific countries |
Samvedna | South Asian Region Nations |
Latest Important Military Exercises – 2022
The table given below mentions the latest editions of all the important military exercises of India with other nations. CSE exam aspirants must refer to the details discussed below:
Exercise name | Country participated with India | Latest Date/Year/Edition | Held at |
Al Nagah-III | Oman | 12th March 20193rd Edition | Jabal AL Akhdar training camp, Oman |
Bold Kurukshetra | Singapore | 9th April 201912th Edition | Babina Military Station in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh |
Ekuverin | Maldives | 7th October 201910th Edition | Pune, Maharashtra |
Garuda Shakti IV | Indonesia | 19th February 20186th Edition | Bandung, Indonesia |
Hand in Hand | China | 7th December 20198th Edition | Umroi, Meghalaya |
Indra | Russia | 4th September 202011th Edition | Andaman Sea |
Khanjar V | Kyrgyzstan | 16th March 20195th Edition | Vairengte in Mizoram |
Lamitye | Seychelles | 20188th Edition | Mahe Island in Seychelles |
Maitree | Thailand | 16th September 201914th Edition | Umroi, Meghalaya |
Mitra Shakti-VII | Sri Lanka | 1st December 20197th Edition | Pune, Maharashtra |
Multi-national FTX/Exercise Force Eighteen | 18 ASEAN Plus countries | 2nd March 2016 | Pune, India |
Nomadic Elephant | Mongolia | 5th October 201914th Edition | Bakloh Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh |
Prabal Dostyk | Kazakhstan | 2nd November 2017Second Edition | Himachal Pradesh |
Sampriti-IX | Bangladesh | 3rd February 20209th Edition | Umroi, Meghalaya |
Surya Kiran XIV | Nepal | 3rd December 201914th Edition | Saljhandi, Nepal |
Yudh Abhyas | United States | 8th February 202116th Edition | Rajasthan |
Facts About Indian Army
The table below gives a few important and interesting facts about the Indian Army for the defence Exam:
Indian Army |
Indian Army is the world’s largest ground force, overtaking China |
There are approximately 1.4 million personnel in the Indian Army |
The largest standing volunteer army in the world is Indian Army with 1,129,900 Active personnel and 960,000 Reserves |
There are recruiting zones in the country for the purpose of recruitment in the Indian Army |
The headquarters of Indian Army is in New DelhiThe first headquarters of Indian Army – Red Fort, DelhiToday – Portions of South Block along with a gigantic, architecturally modern Sena Bhavan adjacent. |
In India, command headquarters is known as Field Army with a General Officer Commanding-in-Chief presiding over matters in the rank of a (three-star) Lieutenant General. |
The head of the Indian Army staff is called the Chief of Army Staff (COAS.)The current Army Chief is General Manoj Mukund NaravaneEarlier, General Bipin Rawat was the Indian Army Chief |
Indian Army also has Vice Chief and two Deputy Chiefs of Army Staff |
In the Indian Army, corps are the field force. They are of two types – Holding Corps and Strike Corps |

Frequently Asked Questions about Joint Military Exercises of the Indian Army
Why are Joint Military exercises between armies important?
A military exercise involving two or more nations is a measure to test the performance of the armed forces without engaging in the battlefield. These are useful in case of joint military operations be it in war or in operations other than war such as disaster relief, and humanitarian aid.
What is Vajra Prahar?
Vajra Prahar’ is a Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US to share the best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics as also to improve interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations.
What is the name of joint military exercise of India & France?
France and India have built on their longstanding air force cooperation through the tactical bilateral exercise, Garuda, held alternately in France and India, as well as other joint exercises.
What is Yudh Abhyas?
The 16th ‘Yudh Abhyas,’ a joint military exercise between India and the United States, was held from February 8th to February 21st, 2021. The joint military exercise between India and the United States took place at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district.
What is EX SAMPRITI – X ?
As part of the ongoing India Bangladesh bilateral defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise Ex SAMPRITI-X is being conducted at Jashore Military Station in Bangladesh from 05 June to 16 June 2022.
What is the name of military exercise between India and Japan?
Ex Dharma Guardian – 2022 is a joint military exercise between India and Japan, is being conducted at the Foreign Training Node in Belagavi. The annual training event for the exercise is being held in India since 2018.
What is Konkan exercise?
Konkan Shakti 2021 is the first bilateral tri-service exercise between the armed forces of India and the UK. It culminated in the Arabian Sea on 27 October 21.
LAMITIYE – 2022 is a joint military exercise between India and which country ?
The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles from 22 March to 31 March 22.

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