Indian army to have 16 combat exercises with counterparts of other countries, including Kazakhstan

According to Xinhua, the flurry of exercises constitute an effective diplomatic tool to enhance overall strategic ties and military-to-military cooperation with countries in India's "immediate" and "strategic neighborhood" as well as "priority nations'' far away, said the report.

The countries India will hold joint exercises include the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, according to the report.

"Other armies are very keen to exercise with us since we have six decades of combat experience across the entire spectrum of conflict. One of the main focus areas in the exercises has been counter-terrorism or counter-insurgency in rural, semi-urban and urban terrains," the report quoted a senior officer as saying.

"The exercises build mutual trust, confidence and interoperability. Our soldiers also learn a lot from different armies, and enhance their capability to operate alongside other defense forces under the UN flag or otherwise," said the officer.

Two hundred Indian soldiers recently participated in "Ajayee Warrior" exercise with British soldiers at the Land Warfare Center in Warminster, while another contingent is currently in Mongolia for the "Nomadic Elephant" counter-terror exercise.

French soldiers will be in India to take part in the exercise with India's 99 Mountain Brigade on Oct. 9 -22.

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