Summary
In December 2025, India strengthened regional defense ties through four major bilateral exercises. These focused on diverse terrains—from the jungles of Kerala and mountains of Uttarakhand to the deserts of Rajasthan and Abu Dhabi. Key highlights included the integration of AI-enabled systems and a shift toward specialized urban and desert warfare tactics.
Detailed Analysis
1. Exercise EKUVERIN 2025 (14th Edition)
- Participants: India and Maldives.
- Dates: December 2 to 15, 2025.
- Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
- Key Detail: The Indian Army was represented by a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles.
- Objective: Focused on enhancing interoperability in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations across jungle, semi-urban, and coastal terrains. It is a key part of India's "Neighbourhood First" policy.
2. Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI 2025 (5th Edition)
- Participants: India and Malaysia.
- Dates: December 5 to 18, 2025.
- Location: Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
- Key Detail: Represented by India's Dogra Regiment and the 25th Battalion of the Royal Malaysian Army.
- Objective: Unlike previous editions focused on jungle warfare, this edition shifted to desert warfare scenarios, practicing heliborne operations and "Cordon, Search, and Destroy" missions.
3. Exercise DESERT CYCLONE-II (2nd Edition)
- Participants: India and UAE.
- Dates: December 18 to 30, 2025.
- Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Key Detail: This was the second edition of the bilateral army exercise focusing on sub-conventional operations in an urban environment under a UN mandate.
- Objective: Strengthening the strategic partnership and military diplomacy between India and the UAE.
4. Exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIX (19th Edition)
- Participants: India and Nepal.
- Dates: November 25 to December 8, 2025.
- Location: Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
- Key Detail: The Indian contingent was represented by the Assam Regiment.
- Objective: Focused on jungle warfare, counter-terrorism in mountainous terrain, and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR). It featured niche technologies like AI-enabled decision support and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).