NEW DELHI (PTI): The eighteenth edition of India-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas is currently underway in Uttarakhand, aiming to enhance interoperability and share expertise between both the armies in peacekeeping and disaster relief operations, officials said on Thursday.

The nearly two week exercise began recently.

"The 18th Edition of India-US Joint Exercise #YudhAbhyas commenced today at Foreign Training Node, Auli. The aim of Joint Exercise is to enhance interoperability & share expertise between both the Armies in Peace Keeping & Disaster Relief Operations.

#IndianArmy #IndiaUSFriendship," the Army had tweeted on November 19.

The exercise is conducted annually between India and the US with the aim of exchanging best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures between the armies of the two nations. The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska, the US in October 2021, officials said.

Surya Command, the official Twitter handle of the Army's Central Command, also shared updates on the exercise.

"#YudhAbhyas22 Yoga practice by #USArmy and #IndianArmy troops in high altitude to still the mind and generate focussed application. @adgpi ProDefLko @SpokespersonMoD @USARPAC," it tweeted on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Defence here on November 15 had said that US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the Assam Regiment would be participating in the exercise.

It had said the training schedule focuses on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.

The schedule will include all operations related to peacekeeping and peace enforcement. The troops from both nations will work together to achieve common objectives, the Ministry had said.

The joint exercise will also focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations. Troops from both nations will practice launching of swift and coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity, the Ministry had said.

The exercise will facilitate both armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange.