India-US joint special forces exercise Vajra Prahar 2023 began in Umroi Cantonment, Meghalaya on November 21, 2023 and will be continuing till Dec 11. Vajra Prahar is a bilateral joint military exercise which has empowered special forces of both the nations to exchange ideas and share best practices and expertise.
Personnel from the Indian Army and the US Army Special Forces have gathered together for the 14th Edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise Vajra Prahar. It has become a crucial platform for the special forces of both nations for sharing best practices and experiences in areas particularly in joint mission planning and operational tactics, as said by India’s Ministry of Defence spokesperson.
The US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of US Special Forces whereas The Indian Army contingent comprises Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command, the Ministry of Defence said.
During the course of joint exercise both the parties will rehearse a range of special operations including counter-terrorism operations, airborne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain. Additionally, the exercise involves some key activities like free-fall insertion of troops from stand-off distances, water-borne insertion of troops, precision engagement of targets at long ranges, combat air-controlling of fixed wings and rotary-wing aircraft, and airborne insertion and sustenance of troops.
The first edition of the joint exercise was conducted in the year 2010 in India and the 13 th edition was held at Special Force Training School, Himachal Pradesh. The exercise holds crucial role in order to consolidate further interoperability and foster stronger defense collaboration between the armies of India and USA.
