Finance
The first edition of the bilateral military exercise Austra Hind 2022, which will include contingents from the Indian and Australian armies, is set to begin Monday at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan and will include joint training operations in semi-desert terrain under the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mandate. The exercise will be completed on December 11th.
“This is the first exercise in the series of Austra Hind with participation of all arms and services contingents from both armies. The Australian Army contingent, comprising soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division, has arrived at the exercise location. The Indian Army is represented by troops from the Dogra Regiment. Exercise Austra Hind will be a yearly event that will be conducted alternatively in India and Australia,” said a press statement from the Indian Army.
Officials said that the aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking multi-domain operations in semi-desert terrain. “This joint exercise will enable the two armies to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting tactical operations at company and platoon levels for neutralising hostile threats,” the release added.
Aside from casualty management, casualty evacuation, and logistics planning at the battalion and company levels, the joint exercise includes the use of new-generation equipment and specialized weapons, including snipers, as well as the deployment of surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high level of situational awareness.
Participating contingents will engage in a variety of tasks during the exercise, including joint planning, joint tactical drills, sharing the fundamentals of special weapons skills, and raiding a hostile target. According to the release, the joint exercise will help strengthen ties between India and Australia by promoting understanding and interoperability between the two armies.
Austra Hind begins just days after the 26th edition of the quadrilateral maritime drill Exercise Malabar between the navies of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia concluded earlier this month off the coast of Japan. The exercise, which was hosted this time by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, was aimed at fostering cooperation in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. Earlier in September, the Indian Air Force deployed four Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters and two C-17 strategic transport aircraft to Australia for the large force deployment air warfare drill, Exercise Pitch Black.
Source:IE
