Bikaner: India and Australia on Saturday held joint military drills as part of the ongoing joint military exercise — ‘Austra Hind 22’ — in Rajasthan’s Mahajan field firing ranges, according to the Defence PRO, Jaipur.
Announcing the details of the exercise earlier in the day, the public relations officer of Jaipur said, “Ex #austrahind 2022 underway at MFFR – Indian Australian Army joint training UN mandate Focus on Interoperability, Learning Best Practices -Weaponry, Drills, Jointmanship.” Meanwhile, Major General Chris Field of the Australian Army called on Lt. General M.V. Suchindra Kumar, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) and discussed ways to boost defence ties.
“Maj Gen Chris Field from the @AustralianArmy called on Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar DCOAS (Strat) and discussed the ongoing joint Exercise #AustraHind between both Armies and ways to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation,” a tweet by the official handle of Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI), Indian Army read.
The joint military exercise between the two armies began at Rajasthan’s Mahajan Field Firing Range on November 28, focusing on peacekeeping operations under the UN mandate.
The exercise, which is scheduled to conclude on December 11, aims to strengthen military ties, share best practices and encourage cooperation.
Earlier, during the ongoing joint drills, the troops had shared their expertise in drone technology.
“Troops of #IndianArmy and @AustralianArmy exchanged their expertise in the employment of cutting edge #drone technology including #nanodrones in combat,” the Indian Army (@adgpi) tweeted.
The Australian army contingent comprises soldiers from the 13th Brigade of the 2nd Division while the Indian Army is represented by troops from the Dogra Regiment.
“(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 deserts terrain under a UN peace enforcement mandate,” according to the Defence Ministry.
The ‘Austra Hind’ is a yearly event conducted alternately in India and Australia.
