Desert Cyclone 2024: India-UAE Bonhomie Is Growing, With Deep Strategic Goals In Mind

First ever joint Army exercise with UAE, being held in Rajasthan, indicates deep strategic inroads India has made in Gulf. With increasing defence heft, India emerging as an alternative to US, China.

The first edition of the India-UAE Joint Military Exercise, ‘Desert Cyclone’, is being conducted in Mahajan, Rajasthan, from January 2-15, 2024.

Source : PIB

Traditionally seen as the US backyard, the oil-rich Gulf region is now emerging as an area of big power rivalry with the entry of China. But India has of late made a very silent but significant entry into the region by developing bilateral defence cooperation with Gulf nations and regular exchanges with their armed forces. The ongoing India-UAE Army exercise, Desert Cyclone, in the deserts of Bikaner in the Mahajan range is reflective of the growing proximity and bonhomie between India and the