The Indian Army contingent left for the 13th edition of the India-Thailand joint military ‘Exercise Maitree’. The exercise is scheduled from July 1st to 15th at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak Province of Thailand. The last edition of the same exercise was held at Umroi, Meghalaya, in September 2019. The Indian Army contingent consists of 76 personnel, mainly from a battalion of the Ladakh Scouts, along with personnel from other arms and services, the Indian Army said in a statement.
The Royal Thailand Army contingent includes 76 personnel from the 1st Battalion, 14 Infantry Regiment of 4 Division. Exercise Maitree’s main goal is to strengthen military cooperation between India and Thailand. The exercise aims to enhance combined capabilities in executing joint counterinsurgency/terrorist operations in jungle and urban environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
According to the army, the exercise will focus on physical fitness, joint planning, and tactical drills. During Exercise Maitree, a variety of tactical drills will be practised, including the establishment of a joint operation centre, an intelligence and surveillance centre, the use of drones and counter-drone systems, securing a landing site, small team insertion and extraction, special heliborne operations, cordon and search operations, room intervention drills, and demolition of illegal structures.
Exercise MAITREE is not only about joint operations but also about shared learning. It will allow both sides to share their best practices in Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for conducting joint operations. The statement stated that the exercise would promote the development of inter-operability, camaraderie, and mutual knowledge exchange among soldiers from both countries.
Team BharatShakti
