The Indian and Japanese armies will begin their annual Dharma Guardian train in Karnataka over the weekend. The train, being performed since 2018, will start on Sunday and go on until March 10 on the Foreign Training Node in Belagavi.
The Indian Army stated in an announcement on Friday that the train with Japan is “significant in terms of security challenges faced by both nations in the backdrop of the current global situation”, and that the “scope of this train covers platoon-level joint coaching on operations in jungle and semi-urban/city terrain”. While the assertion didn’t point out China, each India and Japan have strained relations with that nation, because it claims components of their territories.
India and Japan are a part of the four-member Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), the opposite members being the United States and Australia. All the 4 nations take part within the naval wargaming train named Malabar.
The fifteenth battalion of India’s Maratha Light Infantry regiment and the thirtieth infantry regiment of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces will share experiences “to enhance interoperability in planning and execution of various operations”.
The 12-day joint train consists of home intervention drills, raids on terrorist hideouts in semi-urban terrain, fight first support and unarmed fight and close-quarter fight firing. Both sides will collectively prepare, plan and execute tactical drills for menace neutralization.
“The joint field training exercises, joint combat discussions and joint demonstrations will culminate with a two-day validation exercise” on March 8 and March 9, and the joint train will lay particular emphasis on enhancing abilities to combat terrorism.
The assertion stated the army train would foster the relations between India and Japan by enhancing the cooperation between their armies.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
