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India on Thursday launched Exercise Trishul, a massive 12-day tri-service military drill along the Pakistan border, marking its most ambitious show of integrated combat readiness since Operation Sindoor six months ago.
The exercise, spanning Gujarat’s Saurashtra coast and the deserts of Rajasthan, brings together the Army, Navy and Air Force in a joint operational theatre designed to simulate offensive strikes deep into southern Pakistan. The aim: to test the armed forces’ preparedness in a post-Sindoor security environment.
Theatre-Level Integration Test
Conducted under the Pune-based Southern Command, Trishul goes well beyond a conventional firepower display. It’s the first major attempt to operationalise Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s “JAI” doctrine -Jointness, Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), and Innovation – in a live combat scenario.
The exercise integrates Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets with Electronic Warfare (EW) and Cyber Operations, creating a unified multi-domain grid, a key step towards India’s evolving theaterisation model.
“Victory in future wars will be determined as much by logistics and data as by leadership and firepower,” said a senior defence source. “Trishul is meant to test that end-to-end chain, from detection to decision to destruction.”
Show of Indigenous Strength
Under Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, Southern Command has emphasised inter-service synergy and indigenous capability. Trishul will put that philosophy to the test.
The Army has deployed T-90 battle tanks, BrahMos and Akash missile units – the latter credited with intercepting Pakistan’s projectile barrage during Sindoor. The indigenously developed Prachand attack helicopter will make its full operational debut in joint manoeuvres.
The Air Force has committed its top assets, including Rafale and Sukhoi Su-30 fighters, along with Heron and Sea Guardian drones for deep reconnaissance and precision targeting. The Navy’s participation includes Kolkata-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class frigates, and a flotilla of fast-attack craft, reflecting a strong maritime deterrence posture in the Arabian Sea.
Special Forces Convergence
Elite units from all three services are on the ground: the Army’s Para SF, the Navy’s MARCOS, and the Air Force’s Garud commandos. These forces will conduct simulated cross-border raids, amphibious landings, and counter-terrorism operations – testing joint planning and rapid-deployment capabilities.
Pakistan’s Unease Shows
The scale of Trishul has clearly unsettled Islamabad. Hours before the drills began, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) restricting air traffic across multiple sectors of its central and southern airspace for 48 hours, which was later expanded to cover much of its airspace.
The move mirrored India’s own airspace restriction NOTAM, which came into effect at midnight on October 30 and remains active until November 10, up to a ceiling of 28,000 feet.
Defence observers view Islamabad’s reaction as “a sign of strategic anxiety” over India’s growing joint operational capabilities.
A Message Beyond Borders
Analysts say Exercise Trishul sends a dual signal – of deterrence to adversaries and confidence in indigenous capability. More than a war game, it’s a rehearsal for India’s next-generation military architecture – one built on jointness, technology and self-reliance.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
