India, Mongolia joint military exercise to be held in Ulaanbaatar from Jul 17-31

New Delhi: Indian and Mongolian troops will take part in the 15th edition of a bilateral military exercise in Ulaanbaatar from July 17 to 31 aimed at exchanging best practices and developing interoperability, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

An Indian Army contingent comprising 43 personnel reached Ulaanbaatar on Sunday on an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft to take part in the exercise, 'Nomadic Elephant-23', the ministry said in a statement.

"The aim of this exercise is to build positive military relations, exchange best practices, and develop inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies. The primary theme of the exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under United Nations mandate," the statement said.

'Nomadic Elephant' is an annual training exercise which is conducted alternatively in Mongolia and India. The last edition of the exercise was held at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh in October 2019.

Soldiers of the Mongolian Armed Forces Unit 084 and the Indian Army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment will participate in the exercise, the ministry said.

The scope of this exercise involves platoon-level Field Training Exercise (FTX). During the exercise, Indian and Mongolian troops will engage in various training activities designed to enhance their skills and capabilities, it said.

These activities include endurance training, reflex firing, room intervention, small team tactics and rock craft training. Soldiers from both sides will learn from each other's operational experience, it added.

India and Mongolia have a shared commitment to regional security and cooperation. 'Nomadic Elephant-23' will be yet another significant milestone in the defence cooperation between the armies of India and Mongolia that will further foster bilateral relations between the two nations, according to the statement.