Defence News India: Indian Army will begin two weeks long joint military exercise Mitra Shakti 2019 with Sri Lankan Army in the western state of Maharastra early next month. The seventh edition of the exercise will be conducted at foreign training node (FTN) in Pune. The sixth edition of India Sri Lanka joint army exercise was conducted in Sri Lanka last year. The joint military exercise will focus on sub-unit level training for anti-terror and anti-insurgency operations in urban and rural areas, said the ministry of defence.
“The aim of this joint training exercise is to build and promote positive relations between armies of India and Sri Lanka with focus on sub unit level training for counter insurgency & counter terrorism operations in urban and rural environment,” said the ministry of defence in a statement.
The Mitra Shakti exercise is conducted by the two armies under the mandate of United Nations.
The joint exercise is designed for incorporating the current dynamics of United Nations peace keeping operations through practical & comprehensive discussions and tactical exercises.
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The joint military exercise will also focus on achieving the desired level of interoperability and cohesive operational ability of the troops from both India and Sri Lanka through mutual exchange of operational experiences & best practices.
India and Sri Lanka have collaborated on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations over the years. The two sides have a long history of military cooperation.
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Exercise MITRA SHAKTI 2019 is aimed at sending a strong message to all the member nations of the United Nations of the intent, commitment and capability of the militaries of both India & Sri Lanka towards maintaining world peace and upholding the mandate of United Nations.
