Article Posted on : - Oct 13, 2009

Indian Army and US Army personnels share information about vehicles and weapons systems at the static display after the opening ceremony for Yudh Abhyas-09 at Camp Bundela.

NEW DELHI (PTI): India and the US Monday began a three-week joint Army exercise, the largest ever, focusing on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban setting using tactical armoured vehicles at Babina in Uttar Pradesh.

The 'Yudh Abhyas-09', as the exercise is called, will be the first time that the US has taken its potent Stryker infantry armoured vehicles outside of its operational area to a foreign land.

The training exercise, to be held till October 29 under the aegis of the Army's Southern Command, would be conducted under the agreed joint programme framework for sharing useful experiences in peace-keeping operations, humanitarian and disaster relief situations, Army officials said here.

"The scope of the exercise is to conduct Indo-US joint training exercise with counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism focus in a semi-urban scenario under United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations Chapter-VII," they said.

Planned to be held under a UN mandate, 'Yudh Abhyas-09' would witness a Mechanised Infantry Battalion of Indian Army comprising about 50 infantry combat vehicles and 17 Strykers of the 2nd Squadron of 14 Cavalry of 25 Stryker Brigade Combat Team with 325 personnel from the US.

The aspects of the exercise, Army officials said, would be human rights and peace-keeping operations, including military coordination, military decision making process and rules of engagement.

The 'stability' operations would include mounting and rules of engagement, mines and counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) operations and patrolling.

Aid to civil administration such as road opening, convoy protection, humanitarian assistance and community operations, apart from logistics support such as equipment issues would be covered during the exercise, they said.

"This is to share and learn form each others' experience through combined military decision making and planning process and employment of forces," Army officers added.

"It is also to promote mutual trust and understanding through the exchange of tactics, techniques and procedures and associated logistics support. Exposure to highly technical based weapons, equipment and systems would form part of the three-week-long effort," they added.