The 21st edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025 concluded on September 14 after two weeks of intensive engagement between India and the US at Fort Wainwright and the Yukon Training Area in Alaska.

The exercise involved approximately 450 Indian Army personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment and US soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division, focusing on joint command and field training in challenging sub-arctic conditions.

The exercise featured command post drills with Indian and American officers collaborating on operational planning, command and control, and coordination at brigade and battalion levels. Field exercises included manoeuvres, specialized sniper and reconnaissance training, counter IED operations, obstacle laying, and demolitions, allowing troops to adapt and synchronize under realistic combat scenarios.

Live-fire operations played a key role, with artillery and mortar units from both armies conducting joint firing drills that tested precision, adaptability, and communications in demanding terrain. The exercise also involved infantry, aviation, electronic warfare, and counter-drone systems working under joint command during combined tactical operations validated in adverse weather conditions.

Additional activities included heliborne operations, employment of surveillance resources and unmanned aerial systems, rockcraft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, and combat medical aid. Subject-matter experts conducted working groups on critical domains such as UAS and counter-UAS, information warfare, communications, and logistics.

Yudh Abhyas 2025 further enhanced the comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the US by improving interoperability, tactical planning, and joint operational readiness. It also aimed to boost preparedness for United Nations peacekeeping missions and multi-domain conflict challenges while strengthening the long-standing defence relationship despite economic frictions like US tariffs on Indian goods.

This edition reinforced soldier-level familiarity with each other's equipment and procedures, expedited coordination, and improved capacity to jointly tackle real-world threats. It stands as a hallmark of steadily evolving India-US military cooperation, fortifying deterrence, operational synergy, and defence diplomacy in strategically significant environments like sub-arctic and high-altitude terrains.

Based On ANI Report