Indian, French Armies Showcase Deepening Partnership in Exercise Shakti

The seventh edition of the Shakti (Strength in Hindi) joint exercise series between the Indian and French Armies has concluded at the Indian Army Eastern Command’s Joint Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya.

Ex Shakti 2024 focused on training for ground control operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under United Nations mandates and featured twice as many troops as compared to previous editions.

The exercises began with a  brigade-level command post exercise.

The exercises also featured participation of Indian Air Force assets for the first time, as well as Navy and Air Force observers in its final phase.

Tactical drills practiced during the exercises included responding to a terrorist action of capturing a defined territory, establishment of a Joint Command Post, establishment of an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, securing of a helipad landing site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon & Search Operations along with employment of drones and counter drone systems.

While the Indian contingent comprised primarily of 90 personnel mainly from a battalion of the Rajput regiment, the French contingent comprised of 90 personnel from the Légion étrangère’s (Foreign Legion) of the French Army.