Guwahati: The 14th edition of the Indo-US joint military exercise, “Vajra Prahar 2023,” commenced at the Indian Army’s Joint Training Node (JTN) at Meghalaya’s Umroi on Tuesday (November 21). The United States (US) contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of the US Special Forces. The Indian Army contingent is led by Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command.


Exercise “Vajra Prahar” is a joint military exercise conducted between the Indian Army and US Army Special Forces. It aims at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics, Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO), Guwahati, Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, said in a press release.  


The first edition of the exercise was conducted in the year 2010 in India and the 13th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise was conducted at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS) in Himachal Pradesh’s Bakloh. The current edition will be conducted at the Umroi JTN between November 21 and December 11, 2023, Lt Col Rawat said in the release.  


During the course of the next three weeks, both sides will jointly plan and rehearse a series of special operations, counter-terrorism operations, and airborne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in the mountainous terrain of Meghalaya. The key highlights of the joint exercise include combat free fall insertion of troops from stand-off distances, waterborne insertion of troops, precision engagement of targets at long ranges, combat air controlling of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, and airborne insertion and sustenance of troops, the release said.


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Lt Col Rawat further said that the exercise “Vajra Prahar” has evolved as a mechanism to exchange ideas and share best practices between the Special Forces of both nations. It is also a platform to enhance interoperability and strengthen defence cooperation between the armies of India and the US.


With an aim to host the armies of friendly nations for joint military training exercises, the Indian Army created the Umroi JTN in 2016. Umroi, located on the northern foothills of Shillong along the Umiam River, was envisaged as a JTN in view of the conducive weather conditions and mountainous terrain configuration offering an optimal training environment. 


The Umroi JTN has been developed at par with training centres of leading armies of the world. It is the nominated node of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army for conducting joint military exercises with friendly nations.


The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.


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