India, Nepal begin joint military training exercise Surya Kiran

Kathmandu: The joint military exercise between the armies of India and Nepal ‘SURYA KIRAN’ began at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi to enhance inter-operability and share experience on Counter Insurgency and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a press release.

The exercise started with the unfurling of the National Flags and both armies marching in harmony on the Indian and Nepal military tunes. It is pertinent to mention that the Gorkha battalion from the elite Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army is participating in the exercise.

During the two weeks of exercise, both armies would familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics and procedures while operating in Counter Insurgency environment, especially in mountainous terrain.

To further enhance the scope and scale of the exercise, the contingents will be exposed to scenarios dealing with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, High Altitude Warfare and Jungle Warfare operations.
The Joint Military Training is scheduled to conclude on December 29 with a grueling 48 hours validation exercise to validate the performance of both armies in Counter Insurgency environment.

“Ex Surya Kiran will go a long way in improving bilateral relations and mutual cooperation ben both the armies and further strengthening the unique, time-tested friendship between India and Nepal,” according to the statement.

“Suryakiran series of exercises also stands testimony to strong Indo-Nepal relations which are vast and varied, and unlikely to be found anywhere in the world,” the statement reads.

Nepal Army soldiers of the Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion and Indian Army soldiers from the 5 GR will be participating in the exercise. The two armies, through these contingents, shall be sharing the experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over the years in their respective countries, added the release.

“Indian Army troops arrived today in Saljhandi, Nepal for the 16th Joint India-Nepal Military Ex #SURYAKIRAN. The exercises are a paragon for exchange of professional experience & cementing the friendship between two armies,” tweeted the Embassy of India, Kathmandu.

The joint exercise would focus on the evolution of combined drills for planning and conducting tactical operations at the unit level in counter-terrorism operations and disaster response mechanisms in general and the armed forces’ role in managing disasters.

During the exercise, participants will be training together to develop inter-operability and share their experience including Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations and Humanitarian Relief operations.

The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations, said the release.