Why in the News?
The Indian Army contingent departed for the 13th edition of the India-Thailand joint military Exercise MAITREE.
About Exercise Maitree
- Maitree is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army that has been conducted since 2006.
- It is conducted alternatively in India and Thailand each year
- The latest edition in 2019 took place in Umroi, Meghalaya
- The exercise involves company-level joint training in jungle and urban scenarios
- Objective: Enhancing combined capabilities in executing joint counter-insurgency and terrorist operations in jungle and urban environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
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Training Focus:
- It focuses on joint planning, tactical drills, physical fitness exercises, and sharing best practices.
- Key activities include setting up joint operation centres, intelligence gathering, using drones, securing landing zones, and conducting special heliborne operations.
Significance:
- Exercise Maitree is significant as both India and Thailand face security challenges from terrorism, especially in southern Thailand which is prone to attacks.
- It is part of the growing defense cooperation between India and Thailand, which signed an MoU on defense cooperation in 2012.
India’s Defence Exercises with SE Asian Neighbours:
India has conducted several joint military exercises with its Southeast Asian neighbors in recent years to strengthen defense cooperation and interoperability:
- Exercise Garuda Shakti: This is a bilateral exercise between the Indian and Indonesian Special Forces. The latest iteration was held in November 2022 at the Sangga Buana Training Area in Indonesia.
- Exercise Mitra Shakti: This is a joint exercise between the Indian and Sri Lankan armies. The latest edition was conducted in 2022.
- Exercise VINBAX: This is a joint military exercise between India and Vietnam. The 2022 edition was the 3rd iteration of this exercise.
- IMBEX: This is a joint military exercise between India and Myanmar. The latest edition was held in 2017-18.
- EKUVERIN: This is a joint military exercise between the Indian and Maldivian forces. The 11th edition was conducted in 2022.
- CORPAT: India conducts Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) exercises with maritime neighbors like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia to enhance maritime cooperation and security in the region.
- AIME 2023: This was the first ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise, held in May 2023 with the participation of navies from India, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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PYQ:
[2024] Which of the following statements about ‘Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023’ are correct?
- This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
- It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
- Joint response during counter-terrorism operation was a goal of this operation.
- Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.
Select the answer using the code given below :
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 2, 3 and 4 |
