Indian and Russian armies will be holding a joint military exercise ‘INDRA-2015’ with a view to develop the capabilities to combat international terrorism and to counter the evolving threats.
This exercise, which is the seventh edition in a continuing series of annual bilateral exercise under this banner, will be conducted from November 7 to 20, in Bikaner, and a 250-member strong contingent of the Russian army will be participating in this joint exercise.
According to the Defence spokesperson Manish Ojha, the focus of this exercise will be on ‘Counter terrorism operations in the backdrop of desert terrain under a United Nations mandate’.
To achieve interoperability in joint operations in the future, troops from an Independent Russian Motorised Brigade and Indian Army’s Infantry Battalion would initially acquaint themselves with the approach to such operations, command and control systems as well as arms and equipments of each other.
Ojha informed that the exercise would be conducted in two phases, namely ‘Combat conditioning and tactical training’ and ‘Validation’. During the exercise, participants will engage in a variety of missions including joint planning, cordon and search operations, search and rescue, joint tactical drills and special arms skills.
Ojha said that a comprehensive training programme spanning four weeks has also been drawn up for the purpose. The exercise will be witnessed by senior Indian and Russian generals.
