[pib] Exercise DUSTLIK

Why in the news?

Indian Army contingent departed for the 5th edition of Exercise DUSTLIK in Uzbekistan.

Exercise DUSTLIK

• Exercise DUSTLIK is an annual event alternating between India and Uzbekistan.
• It is named after Dustlik, a town in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan.
• The first edition of the exercise was held in 2019 near Tashkent.
• Previous edition held in Pithoragarh, India, in February 2023.

Objectives and Focus Areas:

• Focus on physical fitness, joint planning, and tactical drills.
• Emphasis on special arms skills and multi-domain operations.
• Tactical drills include establishing command posts, intelligence centers, heliborne operations, and room intervention.
• Incorporation of combat support arms and services besides Infantry.
• Opportunity to share Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of joint operations.
• Strengthening interoperability and camaraderie between soldiers of both nations.

India’s bilateral exercises with Central Asian Countries