Indian contingent leaves for Australia to participate in joint military exercise

An Indian armed forces contingent comprising 81 personnel left for Australia on Wednesday to take part in the second edition of the joint military exercise AUSTRAHIND, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The exercise will be conducted in Perth in Australia from November 22 to December 6. The Australian contingent will include 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.

The AUSTRAHIND exercise was instituted in 2022 and the first edition was conducted in Mahajan in Rajasthan. It is planned to be an annual training event to be conducted alternately in India and Australia.

The aim of the exercise is to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides. The exercise will promote interoperability while undertaking multi-domain operations in urban and semi-urban terrains under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on peacekeeping operations.

The collaborative exercise aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the joint rehearsal of tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting tactical operations. The training program encompasses various aspects such as sniper firing, collaborative operation of surveillance and communication equipment to enhance situational awareness, and the rehearsal of casualty management and evacuation procedures.

Tactical actions at both the company and battalion levels will be practised.Beyond its operational objectives, the exercise serves as a platform to enhance mutual understanding between the participating military forces.