India-US joint exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ commences in Meghalaya
Guwahati: The 14th edition of the Indo-US joint Special Forces exercise, “Vajra Prahar 2023,” commenced on Tuesday, at the Indian Army’s Joint Training Node (JTN), in Meghalaya’s Umroi.
The 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 exercise conducted between the Indian Army and the US Army Special Forces.
It aims at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.
The first edition of the joint exercise was conducted in 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 is being conducted in Umroi Cantonment in Meghalaya from November 21 to December 11, 2023.
During the course of the next three weeks, both sides will jointly plan and rehearse a series of special operations, counter-terrorist operations, and airborne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain.
Key highlights of the 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.
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 United States of America.
