Guwahati: A joint bilateral military training exercise, “Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023,” between the Indian Army and the Malaysian Army, commenced on Monday (October 23), at the Umroi cantonment, located in Ri Bhoi district of the northeastern state of Meghalaya.


While the Malaysian contingent comprises troops from the 5th Royal Battalion of the Malaysian Army, the Indian contingent is represented by a Battalion of the Rajput Regiment. The last edition of the exercise between the Army of both the countries was conducted in Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia in November 2022, the Indian Army said in a press release on Monday.


The Exercise 'Harimau Shakti', scheduled till November 5, 2023, will engage approximately 120 personnel from both sides. The joint exercise is aimed at enhancing military capabilities for the conduct of multi-domain operations in a sub-conventional scenario. During the exercise, both the contingents will establish a joint command post and establish an integrated surveillance grid along with a joint surveillance centre, the release said.  


Both the contingents of the Army will rehearse employment of joint forces in the jungle, semi-urban as well as urban environment. In addition, intelligence collection, collation, and dissemination drills will also be rehearsed. The exercise will also witness the employment of drones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and helicopters. Both the contingents will practice casualty management and evacuation drills. They will also discuss logistics management and practice survival training at the battalion level, the release added.


The training will focus primarily on a high degree of physical fitness, the conduct of drills at a tactical level, and the sharing of best practices with each other. The exercise will culminate with a 48-hour-long validation exercise in a semi-urban area, it said.


The release further said that Exercise 'Harimau Shakti' is aimed to enhance the level of defence cooperation between the Indian Army and the Malaysian Army, which will also foster the bilateral relations between both nations.


The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.


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