New Delhi: A joint military exercise, “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022”, between India and Japan will be conducted at Foreign Training Node, Belagavi (Belgaum, Karnataka) from 27 February to 10 March.
Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN-2022 is an annual training event that is being conducted in India since 2018.
Notably, in the series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries, Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN with Japan is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both nations in the backdrop of the current global situation.
The scope of this exercise covers platoon level joint training on operations in jungle and semi-urban/urban terrain.
Combat experienced troops of the 15th Battalion the MARATHA LIGHT INFANTRY Regiment of the Indian Army and 30th Infantry Regiment of Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (JGSDF) are participating in the exercise this year to share experiences gained during operations in order to enhance inter-operability in planning & execution of various operations in jungle & semi-urban/ urban terrain.
The Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces contingent arrived at the exercise location on 25 February 2022 where they were accorded a warm reception by the Indian side.
The 12 days long joint exercise schedule includes house interventions drills, raid on terrorist hideouts in semi-urban terrain, combat first aid, unarmed combat & close quarter combat firing where both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats.
The joint field training exercises, joint combat discussions and joint demonstrations will culminate with a two-day validation exercise scheduled on 8 and 9 March.
Special emphasis is being laid on enhancing tactical skills to fight global terrorism and on enhancing interoperability between the forces and promoting Army to Army relations.
“Exercise Dharma Guardian” will enhance the level of defence co-operation between the Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces, which in turn will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
