India and Australia Set to Sharpen Joint Tactical Skills in AustraHind 2024 Military Exercise

Pune, India - 3rd edition of joint military exercise AustraHind 2024, a significant event in growing defence partnership between India and Australia, is set to take place at Foreign Training de in Pune, Maharashtra , from vember 8 to vember 21, 2024. exercise aims to bolster interoperability of Indian Army and Australian Army, specifically focusing on conducting sub-conventional operations under United Nations mandate.

This exercise is a crucial step in furring defence cooperation between two nations, which share a strong commitment to maintaining peace and security in Indo-Pacific region. joint operations will focus on enhancing tactical and strategic coordination, with both armies honing ir skills in complex peacekeeping scenarios, ensuring ir reiness for modern security challenges.  

Aims of Exercise: Strengning Bonds and Enhancing Capabilities  

core objective of AustraHind 2024 is to enhance interoperability between two armies, facilitating joint operations in response to emerging global and regional threats. exercise will emphasize sharing of best practices, mutual training in combat tactics, and developing capacity to work toger in complex, n-tritional military operations, particularly under United Nations mandates.  

Previous iterations of exercise, including AustraHind 2023, were held in Western Australia, and Indian Army’s participation was marked by a strong focus on peacekeeping operations. dition of both air and maritime elements last year marked an expansion in scope of cooperation between two armies.  

Colonel Mayank, Commanding Officer of Indian Army contingent, emphasized that this year's exercise will build on solid foundation laid in previous years. “ exercise aims to improve military relations and increase capability to execute joint operations. shared experiences and evolving joint tactics will furr enhance our operational effectiveness,” Colonel Mayank said.  

A History of Successful Cooperation  

2023 edition of AustraHind was held at various locations, including 13th Brige base in Perth, Australia. Brigier Brett Chaloner, Commander of Australian 13th Brige, ted that AustraHind 23 was an excellent opportunity for Indian and Australian forces to exchange kwledge and enhance ir understanding of tactics, techniques, and procedures in complex military environments.

exercises covered a variety of drills, from fighting in semi-urban terrain to close-quarter battle and sniper techniques. Both forces participated in joint live-fire activities and tactical simulations, which demonstrated growing synergy between m. integration of air power, like Hawk 127 le-in fighters from Royal Australian Air Force and live naval artillery fire from HMAS Stuart, furr emphasized strategic vant of ir military cooperation.  

“ exercise strengns our ability to dress shared security challenges in Indian Ocean region, and we are developing new ways to tackle se challenges toger,” said Brigier Chaloner.  

Building Towards Regional Security and Stability  

AustraHind exercise plays a pivotal role in reinforcing broer strategic ties between India and Australia, which have been furr solidified through ir shared participation in or multinational exercises, such as Exercise Malabar 2024, which also involves forces from Japan and United States.

Australia and India have also planned or bilateral exercises, including Exercise Malabar, to furr deepen military collaboration in region. se exercises are seen as critical in shaping a collective approach to tackling both conventional and hybrid threats, reinforcing ir commitment to peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.