Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise Surya Kiran-XI held in Uttarakhand

The eleventh edition of joint military exercise ‘Surya Kiran 2017‘ between India and Nepal began in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand.
It is two-week long battalion level joint exercise between armies of both countries. It will focus on skills required for natural disaster management, counter-insurgency and jungle warfare.

Key Facts

• The Surya Kiran XI aims at training of both the troops in the area of various counter insurgency operations over a prolonged period.
• It will focus on other important aspects such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and environmental conservation.
• In this exercise, Indian Army is represented by the officers and troops of Ekta Shakti Battalion of the Punjab Regiment. While, Nepali Army is being represented by Durga Baksh Battalion.
• Both the armies will mutually benefit from the varied experiences gained during the exercise and strengthen the friendly relation between Nepal and India.

Background

The Surya Kiran series of military exercises are being conducted bi-annually, alternatively in India and Nepal. It is largest exercise in terms of troop’s participation in series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries. It aims at promoting military relations while increasing interoperability in conducting joint counter insurgency operations in mountainous terrain. The 10 edition of the exercise was held at Army Battle School, Saljhandi in Nepal in November 2016.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2017