Pacific Perspective:US and Indian Armies Train in the Himalayas

The 18th annual Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2022 provides high altitude training in India's Himalayan Mountains for the US Army and Indian Army.They are taking place in the Auli area of Utterakhand State in North India.Participating are the US Army's 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Airborne),which was recently reactivated to provide forces adept at cold and rugged Arctic terrain,having previously been known as U.S. Army Alaska.Indian Soldiers of the Assam Regiment will drill with their American counterparts.The aim is to exchange best practices,Tactics,Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) between the two armies,the Indian Ministry of Defence said.They will employ an integrated battlegroup under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate on peacekeeping and peace enforcement.They will also practise Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The Field Training Exercise includes validation of individual battlegroups;force multipliers;establishment and functioning of surveillance grids;validation of operational logistics;mountain warfare skills;casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climate conditions.There will also be a focus on combat skills such as combat engineering;employment of UAS/counter UAS techniques;and information operations.Thus both armies will share their broad range of experiences and skills,while enhancing techniques through information exchange,IMOD noted on 15 November 2022.The drills will take place near the Line of Actual Control (LAC),where conflict has occurred between the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army,resulting in casualties including deaths on both sides.So Yudh Abhyas is a signal to China that these two powerful democracies are intent on improving their crisis coordination.* The Indian Army numbers 1,237,000 active duty and 960,000 reserves,plus 136 aircraft.There are also an Indian Navy and Indian Air Force,the third largest air force in the world.Indeed,next year the population of India will surpass that of China.* On 6 June 2022,the 11th Airborne Division's 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team was reactivated at Fort Wainwright,Alaska;and the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team was reactivated at Fort Richardson,Alaska (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) in separate ceremonies.The 11th Airborne also includes headquarters,logistics and other support forces.* From 15-16 June 2020,Indian and PLA forces clashed in hand-to-hand combat incidents involving rocks in the Galwan River valley on the Indian side of the LAC,resulting in several deaths.India says it lost 20 troops in the Galwan skirmish (Operation Snow Leopard).According to a member of the US Intelligence Community,20-35 Chinese PLA members were killed in the clashes.This blog examined a handful of photos of the incident.These include a PLA photo of Chinese regimental commander Qi Fabao being carried with a bloodied face and a head bandage.A few other photos show up to several dozen Indian forces crossing the Galwan River with riot shields and walking sticks.An Indian trooper appeared to have a rifle slung over his back in a rather blurry image.On 7 September 2020,gunfire erupted along the LAC,apparently without further casualties.*