Ajeya Warrior Exercise – Facts, Aims, and Importance

What is Ajeya Warrior Exercise?

The Ajeya Warrior Exercise is a combined military drill, designed to provide company-level joint training focused on counter-terrorism operations in urban and semi-urban settings.

Download Ajeya Warrior PDF

Training on current weapon systems, equipment, and simulators is also on the agenda. The drill is part of a larger strategy to improve interoperability and share skills, experience, and expertise with allied foreign powers.

Vital Facts About Ajeya Warrior Exercise

The important facts about Ajeya Warrior Exercise between India and the United Kingdom are as follows-

• Through this exercise, an Infantry Company from the Indian Army and an equivalent force from the United Kingdom Army gets to share their experiences garnered during various military actions in their respective nations along with abroad conflicts.
• Both armies profit from their diverse experiences if they work together.
• Both Forces get the opportunity to acquaint themselves with each other’s weaponry, types of equipment, tactics, procedures, and strategies for conducting combined military operations as part of the training.
• A series of expert academic discussions are conducted on diverse matters of shared interest, such as the Combined Arms Concept, Sharing of Joint Force Experiences, Operation Logistics, etc.
• In 2013, the first bilateral military exercise took place. The Ajeya Warrior exercise was held for the second and third time in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
• The Ajeya Warrior 2021 was the most recent exercise which took place in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, in October 2021. The previous (fifth) edition was held in the United Kingdom in 2020.

Ajeya Warrior Exercise Aims and Objectives

Like other important exercises between these two nations, Ajeya Warrior Exercise aims to enhance the interoperability between them. The first three Ajeya Warrior exercises took place in 2013, 2015, and 2017. The most recent being the sixth edition. The major aims and objectives of the Ajeya Warrior Exercise is as follows-

• Train the army personnel of both nations for counter-terrorism and insurgency operations.
• To advance strategic ties between India and the United Kingdom.
• To acquire operation experience and expertise from the bilateral military training campaign.

The Prominence of the Ajeya Warrior Exercise

The importance of Ajeya Warrior Excercise can be explained as under-

• The collaborative military training culminates in a forty-eight-hour exercise to substantiate both forces’ proficiency in executing joint combat operations in a semi-urban environment.
• This joint military training helps improve diplomatic relations between the two countries and would prove to be a significant advance toward further enhancing the two countries’ long-standing relationship.

India and the UK Defence Cooperation

Since 2004, there has been a strategic partnership between India and the United Kingdom. A few important India and the UK Defence Cooperation includes-

• The Prime Ministers of both the nations came forward to intensify the defence corporations in 2015 and agreed to form a newdefence and international security partnership between the two countries. This cooperation includes the maritime security, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity coordinations.
• In 2018, India and the UK signed 10 MoUs, Memorandum of Understandings. It includes MoU on sharing of criminal records, safe nuclear energy use, and cyber-relationship framework.
• India, and the United Kingdom faciliated institutionalised dialogues mechanisms. It includes various defence spheres, esp. CounterTerrorism Dialogue, Cyber Dialogue, Defence Consultative Group at Defence Secretary-level, and Strategic Dialogue at NSA-level.
• There is a regular conduction of wide-ranging exchanges and joint exercises among the three level of services.

Other Exercises Between India and the UK

Apart from Ajeya Warrior Exercise, India and the UK conducts two more exercises. These are Konkan Exercise and Indradhanush Exercise.

• Konkan Exercise- The Konkan Exercise was introduced in 2004 as a joint military exercise between the UK and Indian navies. The recent Konkan Exercise tooknplace on the English channel in 2021. From India, there was a participation of INS Tabar.
• Indradhanush Exercise- The joint military exercise between the UK and Indian air force is Indradhanush Exercise. The recent Indradhanush Exercise took place at Air Force Station, Hindan on 24 Feb, 2020 with the theme of Base Defence and Force Protection.

Important Notes for UPSC
Difference Between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy	Union Territories of India
Difference between Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha	Major River System in India
What are Exogenic and Endogenic Forces?	Difference between Democracy and Monarchy