Shillong:
In the midst of Meghalaya’s serene hills, a quiet, security-oriented alliance is being forged across the Bay of Bengal. Soldiers from 13 countries, including India, came together for training sessions for nearly two weeks in the Umroi Military Station in the state. The joint exercise ended on Sunday.
They were trained on operating in Meghalaya’s rugged hills, rappelling from helicopters, traversing jungles with various barriers, and conducting counter-terrorism training, among other exercises. At first glance, the exercise PRAGATI 2026 may look like just another of many international drills aimed at familiarising military forces.
But a significant event unfolded under the facade of jungle warfare and camouflage training. Amid the undulating terrains of Meghalaya, the united forces belonged to nations bordering the Bay of Bengal and the Indo-Pacific – regions linked increasingly by shared security threats and common strategic interests.
Conducted by the Indian Army, over 400 soldiers and officials from across various nations including Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam arrived to take part in it. Several of these nations lie along the Bay of Bengal and on the eastern arc, a region of increasing global strategic importance.
What brings all of them together is that they are grappling with the same set of challenges such as terrorism, crossborder crimes, maritime threat, disaster management and the problem of regional instability. And this was quite evident during the exercises held in the fields of Meghalaya.
Images and videos showed the combined forces, rappelling down rocks, clearing barriers and crossing rivers with the help of rope, in thick vegetation. As helicopters whizzed above their heads, soldiers slithered down ropes to land on the field before entering mock combat scenarios. Alongside, troops conducted ambush and counter-ambush drills, fired shots in jungle lanes, raided rooms, detected and disarmed IEDs and performed casualty evacuation operations.
What was most impressive during the entire exercise was that it was not conducted keeping individual national groups separate. Rather, troops interacted, shared strategies and fought under combined scenarios, so that they could be prepared to operate together in any emergency in a real-time situation.
Apart from refining the military skills, such exercises are also useful to develop the familiarity and confidence between nations. After training together, it often becomes easier for them to coordinate their responses later – whether to counter terrorism, aid people after disasters, or deal with broader regional issues.
It also included an exhibition for domestically produced defence equipment, organised by the army along with FICCI and the Army Design Bureau. The event showed India’s aspiration to be considered a reliable partner, and even a technology provider, in defence and security in the region.
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