Context:
Two major military exercises were recently in focus:
- Exercise Garuda 25 between India and France concluded in France.
- Exercise Garuda Shakti 2025 between India and Indonesia commenced in Himachal Pradesh.
These exercises aim to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, enhance interoperability, and expose forces to advanced operational tactics.
Exercise Garuda 25
- Host: Air Base 118, Mont-de-Marsan, France
- Participating Nations: India (Indian Air Force – IAF) and France (French Air & Space Force – FASF)
- Key Features:
- Deployment of Su-30MKI, IL-78 air-to-air refuellers, and C-17 Globemaster III by IAF.
- Complex missions including strike, escort, air refuelling, and coordinated operations.
- Joint mission planning, tactical execution, and familiarisation with each other’s standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- High aircraft serviceability ensured through IAF maintenance teams.
Exercise Garuda Shakti 2025
- Host: Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh
- Participating Nations: India (PARA SF) and Indonesia (Indonesian Special Forces)
- Key Features:
- Training on counter-terrorism tactics, unarmed combat, combat shooting, sniping, and heliborne operations.
- Focus on drone warfare, counter-UAS, and loiter-munition planning in semi-mountainous terrain.
- Exchange of expertise on weapons, equipment, and operational procedures.
- Culminates in a validation exercise simulating real-operation scenarios to test readiness.
