The annual Yudh Abhyas (war practise in Hindi) bilateral training exercises jointly held by the US Army and the Indian Army is underway in and around Fort Wainwright, Alaska.  

The 19th edition of the exercises which began 25 September, concludes on 8 October. 

Yudh Abhyas 23 is 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. 

The theme of this year’s exercise is ‘Employment of an Integrated Battle Group in Mountain/ Extreme Climatic Conditions’ under Chapter VII of United Nations mandate.

The Indian Army is participating in the exercises with 350 personnel, including soldiers from the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment. The 11th Airborne Division’s 1-24 Infantry Battalion of 1st Brigade Combat Team is taking part in the exercises. Both sides will work on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, obstruction clearance, mine and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) warfare.

The scope of the field training exercise includes: 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.