About Exercise Yudh Abhyas:
- It is the annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the United States Army.
- It focuses on enhancing interoperability, joint operational capabilities, and military cooperation between the two countries.
- 2026 Edition:
- It is the 22nd edition of the exercise.
- The first phase is scheduled at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, near the Pakistan border.
- The forces will then move to the high-altitude terrain of Auli in Uttarakhand, close to the Line of Actual Control with China.
- It focuses on high-altitude warfare, long-range precision fires, counter-drone capabilities, and greater operational interoperability.
- It features the deployment of Arctic-trained soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to the high altitudes of India.
- The exercise is bolstered by the participation of the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, introducing advanced long-range precision fires and integrated command-and-control systems to the bilateral framework.
- The drills consist of a command post exercise and a field training exercise, culminating in a combined live-fire demonstration involving U.S. and Indian long-range precision fires and rocket systems.
- Operating under the strategic framework of Operation Pathways, this year’s exercise marks a historic milestone with the first-of-its-kind deployment of advanced counterdrone systems to India.
- The integration of the mobile low, slow, small unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (MLIDS) allows both nations to adapt together to emerging battlefield threats and reinforce regional readiness.
Other Exercises between India and USA:
- Vajra Prahar: Indian Army Special Forces + U.S. Army Special Forces
- Cope India: Indian Air Force + U.S. Air Force
- Malabar: Indian Navy + U.S. Navy, Japan, and Australia
- Tiger Triumph: India–U.S. tri-service exercise with a focus including amphibious and HADR operations.
