Shillong, May 13: The 7th edition of India- France Joint Military Exercise SHAKTI began on Monday in Umroi.
The Exercise is scheduled to be concluded on May 26. The opening ceremony of the joint exercise was attended by Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India and Major General Prasanna Sudhakar Joshi, General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area. Exercise SHAKTI is a biennial training event conducted alternatively in India and France. The last edition was conducted in France in November 2021.
Indian contingent comprising 90 personnel is being represented by a battalion of the Rajput Regiment besides personnel from other armed services. Observers from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force will also form part of the exercise. The French contingent comprising 90 personnel will be represented mainly by personnel from the 13th Foreign Legion Half- Brigade (13th DBLE).
The aim of exercise SHAKTI is to enhance joint military capability of both sides to undertake multi-domain operations in a sub conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. The joint exercise will focus on operations in the semi-urban and mountainous terrain. Objectives to be achieved from the joint training are high degree of physical fitness, rehearsing and refining drills for operations at tactical level and sharing of best practices.
Tactical drills to be practiced during the exercise will include response to a terrorist action of capturing a defined territory, establishment of a Joint Command Post, establishment of an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, securing of a helipad/ landing site, small team insertion & extraction, special heliborne operations, cordon & search o6perations besides employment of drones and counter drone systems among others.
Exercise SHAKTI will enable the two sides to share their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting joint operations. The joint exercise is aimed to facilitate developing inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between armed forces personnel of the two countries. It also ensures enhancement of defence cooperation and improvement in bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.
