Ind-Lanka military exercise Mitra Shakti begins in Karnataka
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New Delhi: India and Sri Lanka on Monday kick-started a two-week military exercise in Karnataka's Belagavi as part of efforts to enhance interoperability, PTI reported.
The scope of the 11th edition of 'Mitra Shakti' exercise includes synergising joint responses during counter-terrorist operations, the Indian Army said.
The Indian contingent of 170 personnel is being represented mainly by troops from the Rajput Regiment, while the Sri Lankan side is being represented by 135 personnel from the Gajaba Regiment, it said.
Twenty personnel from the Indian Air Force and 10 from the Sri Lankan Air Force are also participating in the exercise.
"Both sides will practice tactical actions such as raid, search and destroy missions, heliborne operations, etc," the Army said.
Exercise Mitra Shakti will also involve the employment of drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems besides helicopters, it said.
Meanwhile, India had announced around a week ago that it had excluded China and Turkey from its major international naval exercise, planned for 2026, for the two nations’ support for Pakistan during the India-Pak conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack. The mega naval event, named International Fleet Review with the naval exercise, is scheduled for February 2026, and the venue will be Vishakhapatnam, according to PTI. The event will include over 50 navies of the world, including those of Russia and the US. The aim is to demonstrate India's growing maritime prowess amid a fractious geopolitical environment.
“Each and every one of them, whether naval ships or research vessels, is under our watch,” Navy vice chief vice admiral Sanjay Vatsayan had said. “We are aware of their movements.”