A Compilation of Notes on Armed Forces Joint Exercises in the Last 5 Years. Important for UGC NET, RRB, and SSC
Indian Armed Forces Joint exercise are very frequent in the question paper of Competitive exams. Here is a tabulated list of major defence exercises (2021–2025) conducted by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, organized by service and with key details.
Armed Forces Joint Exercise
Indian Army Exercises
| Exercise | Partner Nation | Edition/Year | Location | Focus |
| Yudh Abhyas | USA | 16th – 20th (2021–24) | Rajasthan, Alaska, Uttarakhand | Counter-terrorism, HADR |
| Vajra Prahar | USA (Special Forces) | 13th (2022) | Bakloh, HP | Commando operations |
| Dustlik | Uzbekistan | 6th (2024) | Pune | Joint multi-domain ops |
| Bold Kurukshetra | Singapore | 13th (2023) | Jodhpur | Mechanised warfare |
| Prachand Prahaar | Tri-service | March 2025 | Arunachal Pradesh | High-altitude precision ops |
| Ekuverin | Maldives | 12th (2023) | Uttarakhand | Counter-insurgency |
| Garuda Shakti | Indonesia | 8th (2022) | Karawang | Jungle warfare |
| Khanjar | Kyrgyzstan | 11th (2023) | Bishkek | Mountain warfare |
| Sampriti | Bangladesh | 11th (2023) | Jessore | Counterterrorism |
| Nomadic Elephant | Mongolia | 16th (2023) | Ulaanbaatar | Mountain & peacekeeping |
| Indra (Army) | Russia | 13th (2022) | Vladivostok | Joint combat drills |
Indian Air Force Exercises
| Exercise | Partner Nation(s) | Year | Location | Highlights |
| Garuda | France | 7th (2022) | Jodhpur | Combat drills with Rafales & Sukhois |
| Tarang Shakti | Multinational (11 nations) | 1st (2024) | India | Largest multinational air combat exercise |
| Desert Knight | France & UAE | Jan 2024 | UAE (Al Dhafra) | Cross-deployment of assets |
| Red Flag | USA-led (NATO allies) | Jun 2024 | Alaska | High-tempo multi-nation operations |
| Kakadu | Australia-led | Sep 2024 | Australia | Naval & air integration |
| Bright Star | Egypt-led | Aug–Sep 2023 | Egypt | Tri-service participation, live fire |
Indian Navy Exercises
| Exercise | Partner Nation(s) | Year | Location | Focus |
| Milan | Multinational | 11th (2022) | Visakhapatnam | Maritime cooperation (13 foreign warships) |
| Varuna | France | 2019, 2023, 2024 | Goa, Mediterranean | Carrier ops, P-8I surveillance |
| SLINEX | Sri Lanka | 11th (2024) | Visakhapatnam | Anti-submarine warfare |
| Samudra Lakshmana | Malaysia | 3rd (2024) | Visakhapatnam | Maritime interdiction |
| Tiger Triumph | USA | Mar 2024 | Kakinada | Tri-service amphibious ops |
| AIKEYME | African nations (10) | Apr 2025 | Tanzania | Anti-piracy, VBSS with African navies |
| IOS Sagar | Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania | Apr–May 2025 | Indian Ocean | Strategic maritime diplomacy |
| PASSEX | UK (Royal Navy) | Jun 2025 | Arabian Sea | High-seas interoperability |
| Sir Creek Exercise | Indian agencies | Jun 2025 | Kutch | Coastal defense & amphibious ops |
Quick Reference: Summary Table
| Branch | Key Exercises (2021–2025) |
| Army | Yudh Abhyas, Vajra Prahar, Dustlik, Prachand Prahaar, Bold Kurukshetra, Ekuverin, Garuda Shakti, Khanjar, Sampriti, Nomadic Elephant, Indra |
| Air Force | Garuda, Tarang Shakti, Desert Knight, Red Flag, Kakadu, Bright Star |
| Navy | Milan, Varuna, SLINEX, Samudra Lakshmana, Tiger Triumph, AIKEYME, IOS Sagar, PASSEX, Sir Creek |
To add Armed Forces Joint exercise since 2016 for further reference, organized by year and service branch where relevant, Generally the last and Current year are more important .
2016
- Indra (Navy/Air/Army) – India‑Russia trilateral exercise, Bay of Bengal, Dec 2016
- Konkan (Navy) – India‑UK naval exercise, Mumbai, Dec 2016
- Hand‑in‑Hand (Army) – India‑China, Umroi (Meghalaya), Nov–Dec 2016
- Sampriti (Army) – India‑Bangladesh, Dhaka, Nov 2016
- Mitra Shakti (Army) – India‑Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Oct 2016
- Yudh Abhyas (Army) – India‑USA, Uttarakhand, Sep 2016
- Prabal Dostyk/KazInd (Army) – India‑Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Sep 2016
2017
- Varuna (Navy) – India‑France naval exercise, Mediterranean, Apr 2017
- Malabar (Navy) – India‑USA‑Japan multilateral exercise, Bay of Bengal, Jul 2017
- AUSINDEX (Navy) – India‑Australia, Australia coast, Jun 2017
- SIMBEX (Navy) – India‑Singapore, South China Sea, May 2017
- IND‑Indo CORPAT (Navy) – India‑Indonesia, Port Blair, May 2017
- Nomadic Elephant (Army) – India‑Mongolia, Mizoram, Apr 2017
- Surya Kiran (Army) – India‑Nepal, Uttarakhand, Mar 2017
- Al‑Nagah (Army) – India‑Oman, Himachal, Mar 2017
- Ekuverin (Army) – India‑Maldives, Maldives, Dec 2017
2018
- Lamitye VIII (Army) – India‑Seychelles, Mahe, Feb–Mar 2018
- Shakti IV (Army) – India‑France, France (Mailly‑le‑Camp), Jan–Feb 2018
- Vinbax 1 (Army) – India‑Vietnam, Jabalpur, Jan–Feb 2018
- Harimau Shakti (Army) – India‑Malaysia, Malaysia, Apr–May 2018
- Surya Kiran XIII (Army) – India‑Nepal, Uttarakhand, May–Jun 2018
- Maitree (Army) – India‑Thailand, Thailand, Aug 2018
- SCO Peace Mission (Multinational) – SCO countries incl. India, Aug 2018
- Dharma Guardian (Army) – India‑Japan, Mizoram, Nov 2018
- Indra (Army/Air/Army) – India‑Russia, Russia, Nov 2018
- Ekuverin IX (Army) – India‑Maldives, Maldives, Dec 2018
- SLINEX (Navy) – India‑Sri Lanka, Sept 2018
2019
- Yudh Abhyas (Army) – India‑USA, Uttarakhand, Sept 2019
- Al Nagah III (Army) – India‑Oman, Oman (Jabel Al Akhdar), Mar 2019
- Dharma Guardian 2019 (Army) – India‑Japan, Mizoram, Oct 2019
- Maitree 2019 (Army) – India‑Thailand, Sep 2019
- Sampriti 2019 (Army) – India‑Bangladesh, Tangail, 2019
- Garuda VI (Air Force) – India‑France, France (Mont‑de‑Marsan), Jul 2019
- SLINEX 2020 planning, postponed
- TROPEX 2019 multirole naval/tri‑service drill
2020–2021
- AJEYA WARRIOR 2020 (Army) – India‑UK, Feb 2020
- MILAN 2020 (Navy) – postponed Mar 2020
- Sampriti IX 2020 (Army) – India‑Bangladesh
- TROPEX 2021 (Navy/tri‑service) – Jan–Feb 2021
- Yudh Abhyas XVII (Army) – India‑USA, Oct 2021
2022
- Garuda VII (Air Force) – India‑France, Oct–Nov 2022
- Milan XI (Navy) – Feb–Mar 2022, Visakhapatnam
- SLINEX 2024 continued tradition
- Yudh Abhyas XVIII (Army) – Nov–Dec 2022, Uttarakhand
2023
- Varuna 2023 (Navy) – 16–20 Jan 2023, Goa coast
- Milan edition if any
- AUSINDEX 2023 (Navy) – Aug 2023, Sydney
- Malabar 2023 (Navy) – Aug 2023, East Coast Australia
- Mitra Shakti 2023 (Army) – Nov 2023, Pune
2024
- Indra 2024 (Navy) – 25 July–1 Aug 2024, St. Petersburg
- Varuna 2024 (Navy) – 1–4 Sept, Mediterranean & Istres (P‑8I)
- Tiger Triumph 2024 (Tri‑service) – 18–31 Mar, India‑USA, Visakhapatnam
- Desert Knight 2024 (Air) – 23 Jan, India‑France‑UAE, UAE
- Khanjar XI 2024 (Army) – 22 Jan–3 Feb, India‑Kyrgyzstan
- Red Flag 24 (Air Force) – 4–14 Jun, Alaska multilateral
- Kakadu 2024 (Air Force) – 5–22 Sep, Australia multilateral
- Sada Tanseeq 2024 (Army) – 29 Jan–10 Feb, India‑Saudi Arabia
- Cyclone‑I 2024 (Army) – 22 Jan–1 Feb, India‑Egypt
- SLINEX Dec 2024 (Navy) – Dec 2024, Sri Lanka
- Maitree 2024 (Army) – Jul 2024, Thailand
- Nomadic Elephant 2024 (Army) – Jul 2024, Mongolia
- Mitras Shakti 2024 (Army) – Aug 2024, Sri Lanka
- SIMBEX 2024 (Navy) – Oct 2024, Visakhapatnam
- Udara Shakti (Air) – 5–9 Aug 2024, India‑Malaysia
2025 (So far)
- Dharma Guardian 2025 (Army) – Feb 2025, India‑Japan
- Khanjar XII 2025 (Army) – Mar 2025, Kyrgyzstan
- KazInd 2024/25 (Army) – Oct 2024 edition, bilateral with Kazakhstan
- Cyclone 2025 (Army) – Feb 2025, India‑Egypt
- Tiger Triumph 2025 (Tri‑service) – planned Apr 2025, with US
- Bongosagar 2025 (Navy) – Mar 2025, India‑Bangladesh coordinated patrol
- SLINEX not yet scheduled
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