After Malabar Naval exercise, India and US to conduct joint military exercise 'Yudh Abhyas 2017'

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New Delhi: As the stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops along the border in Sikkim continues, India and the United States of America will conduct ''Yudh Abhyas'' joint exercise between their armies in September.

The exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017, will be held from September 14-27 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the US.

Over 200 Indian soldiers from the Gorkha Rifles will take part in the military exercise.

The exercise will be the 13th in the Yudh Abhyas series, which started in the year 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership programme. It had participation of about 225 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of Indian Army.

Over the years the two countries have decided to progressively increase the scope and content of the combined exercise.

The exercise could irk China as India, Japan and the United States of America held the Malabar Naval Exercise-2017 in the Bay of Bengal in July in a bid to achieve deeper military ties among the three nations.

American 100,020 tonne supercarrier USS Nimitz that can carry 90 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters (CVN68), guided-missile cruise USS Princeton (CG59), guided-missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG83), USS Shoup (DDG86) and USS Kidd (DDG100), a Poseidon P-8A aircraft as well as a Los Angeles fast-attack submarine participated in the trilateral naval exercise.

Besides, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force ships 27,000 tonne JS Izumo (DDH 183), 6,300-tonne destroyer JS Sazanami (DD1 13) along with Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa and the 45,400 tonne INS Vikramaditya - a modified Russian Kiev-class aircraft carrier, also took part in the joint Naval exercise.

India also deployed two Kamorta class anti-submarine warfare corvettes - the first anti-submarine warfare stealth corvettes built in India.

Also participating from the Indian Navy were two Shivalik class frigates - the first stealth warships built in India, two destroyers, a Kora class 1,350-ton guided missile corvette, and tanker INS Jyoti.

India and China are engaged in the standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction since June after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

India has said Beijing's action to "unilaterally determine tri-junction points" violated a 2012 India-China pact which says the boundary would be decided by consulting all the concerned parties.

The two countries share a little over 200 km of border in the Sikkim sector.