India Uzbekistan joint military exercise ‘Dustlik’ starts in Pune
Pune is set to play host to the sixth edition of the joint military exercise ‘Dustlik’ between India and Uzbekistan, which will be held at the Foreign Training Node (FTN) at Aundh from April 16 to 28. The exercise will focus on the counter-terrorism operations in sub-conventional domains and will include both Army and Air Force elements, said officials.
Exercise Dustlik, which means friendship in Uzbek, is an yearly event conducted alternatively in India and Uzbekistan. The last edition was conducted at Termez in Uzbekistan and at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand in 2023. The aim of the exercise is to foster military cooperation and enhance combined capabilities to execute joint operations in various environments and terrains. The two-week long activities focus on high degree of physical fitness, joint planning, joint tactical drills and special arms skills.
In a post on X, the Indian Army said, “…This exercise will bring together contingents from the Indian Army and the Uzbekistan Army to enhance collaboration and strengthen military ties. Exercise Dustlik aims to enhance joint training and facilitate the exchange of best practices in counter-terrorism operations within the sub-conventional domain.”
The exercise focuses on various counter terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate. These operations will be held in the sub-conventional domain which refers to conflicts that fall below the threshold of conventional warfare. These include anti-insurgency operations, proxy wars, hybrid warfare and anti-terrorism operations. These are often irregular or asymmetric forms of conflict.
Tactical drills that are practiced during the exercise include creation of a Joint Command Post, establishing an intelligence and surveillance centre, securing of landing site, small team insertion and extraction, special heliborne operations, cordon and search operations, room intervention drills and demolition of illegal structures among others. These tasks will be performed by the joint teams comprising personnel and officers from Armies and Air Forces of the two countries.
Officers said the complexity of this year’s exercise has been enhanced over the years and now comprises conduct of multi-domain operations carried out by combat support arms and services in addition to the Infantry units.
“Exercise enables the two sides to share their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting joint operations. The exercise will facilitate developing interoperability, bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of both the countries. This will also enhance the level of defence cooperation, further fostering bilateral relations between the two friendly nations,” said an officer.
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The Foreign Training Node, which is co-located with the Aundh Military Station in Pune, has emerged as a preferred location for holding bilateral and multilateral military exercises and Southern Command has played an important role in their execution. Pune not only has the presence of several military establishments but also conducive settings for conduct of such exercises, said officials.
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