"India-US Armies Conduct 22nd Yudh Abhyas with Counter-Drone Focus"
Yudh Abhyas
Annual India-US Army bilateral military exercise focused on interoperability and joint warfighting.
Operational Interoperability
Ability of two militaries to work together seamlessly using shared protocols and command structures.
Yudh Abhyas is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the United States Army. It is one of the oldest and most comprehensive exercises in India's bilateral defence calendar. The exercise rotates between India and the United States each year. It is conducted under the broader framework of Operation Pathways, the US Army Pacific's regional engagement programme designed to build interoperability with partner nations across the Indo-Pacific.
India maintains a structured network of bilateral military exercises with key partners. With Sri Lanka, the equivalent exercise is Mitra Shakti, which focuses on counter-terrorism operations and has involved the Indian Air Force alongside ground forces. With Russia, it is Indra. With France, it is Shakti. Each exercise is designed around a specific operational focus relevant to the bilateral relationship. Yudh Abhyas has progressively evolved from basic infantry drills toward complex, multi-domain scenarios reflecting the changing nature of modern warfare.
The legal and strategic foundation for India-US defence cooperation has deepened through a series of foundational agreements. The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) together form the architecture that enables real-time intelligence sharing, logistics support, and geospatial data exchange between the two militaries. These agreements make exercises like Yudh Abhyas operationally meaningful rather than ceremonial.
Modern bilateral military exercises serve multiple strategic functions beyond simple training. They build operational interoperability, which means the ability of two different militaries to work together seamlessly in a real conflict, sharing communications protocols, command structures, and tactical procedures. For India, this is particularly significant given the multi-front security environment it faces along the northern and western borders.
The 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas introduces two operationally significant elements. First, the participation of the US Army's 11th Airborne Division from Fort Wainwright, Alaska. This unit is specifically trained for Arctic and high-altitude warfare. Its deployment to India for high-altitude training directly addresses the operational environment of the Himalayan frontier, where India has faced sustained pressure since 2020. …
Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct?
1.This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
2.It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
3.Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
4.Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.
Select the answer using the code given below:
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.
Consider the following pairs of bilateral military exercises and the countries involved:
1.Yudh Abhyas — India and USA
2.Mitra Shakti — India and Sri Lanka
3.Indra — India and France
4.Shakti — India and Russia
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements about India's foundational defence agreements with the United States:
1.LEMOA enables logistics support and access to each other's military facilities.
2.COMCASA enables sharing of encrypted communications and intelligence.
3.BECA provides geospatial intelligence and data sharing for navigation and targeting.
4.All three agreements were signed in the same year.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements about Exercise Yudh Abhyas:
1.It is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and the US Army.
2.It is conducted under the framework of Operation Pathways.
3.The 22nd edition introduced counter-drone capabilities to India under this exercise for the first time.
4.It rotates between India and the United States each year.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to the Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (MLIDS), consider the following statements:
1.It is a US Army counter-drone system designed to detect and defeat small, slow-flying UAVs.
2.It was deployed to India for the first time under the Yudh Abhyas exercise framework in 2026.
3.It is designed primarily to counter ballistic missile threats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following correctly describes the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force (3MDTF) of the US Army?
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