New Delhi: For the first time, American
tanks will roll on Indian soil in war games codenamed 'Exercise
Yudh Abhyas', which will mark the beginning of the series of
military engagements scheduled between the two countries for
this year.
For the first time in Indo-US war games, Americans will
deploy their tanks in the company-level Exercise Yudh Abhyas
scheduled to be held in the Mahajan field firing ranges in
Rajasthan desert in March, Army sources said here.
Apart from fielding three tanks, the US will also deploy
around 200 men accompanied by armoured personnel carriers for
the war games, they said.
In the last edition of the exercise, the American Army
had brought its Stryker infantry combat vehicles which were
being inducted into war operations in Afghanistan.
However, it is not yet clear which tanks would be
deployed by the American side for the exercise.
India will field its Russian-origin BMPs along with tanks
for the war game.
After the 'Yudh Abhyas in March', Indian Infantry troops
from the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment will fly to
California to engage their American counterparts in the
Exercise Shatrujeet.
130 troops from the 19 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion
will fly to California in April and engage in counter
insurgency and counter-terrorism drills there for the Exercise
Shatrujeet, sources said.
The Special Forces of the two countries will also test
their skills in a mountain exercise codenamed 'Vajra Prahar'.
60 troops from American Special Forces and an equal
number of them from the Indian Army's 3 Para (Special Forces)
will take part in a war game in Chaubatia in Uttarakhand in
August this year in mountain terrain.
Indian troops from 1 Para (SF) had visited Seattle last
year for the Vajra Prahar exercise last year.
The Navies of the two countries are also scheduled to
exercise with each other in 2012.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 22, 2012, 13:52