Pariksha SaathiIndia-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas begins at Auli and Mahajan
The 22nd edition of Yudh Abhyas, the joint exercise of the Indian and US armies, got under way with an opening ceremony on 15 September 2026 at the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand, while training was conducted at the same time at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. Each side has deployed 600 personnel. The contingents were addressed by Major General Amaresh Gunjan, General Officer Commanding, 14 Infantry Division, and Colonel Benjamin Jackman, Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, US Army. The exercise is meant to build both armies' joint capability to employ Integrated Battle Groups in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain, with the emphasis on infantry-led operations, interoperability and joint planning. Technology is a key focus: drones and autonomous systems are being used for surveillance and reconnaissance, contemporary weapon systems are being demonstrated at Mahajan, and specialists from both sides are exchanging views on emerging technologies and multi-domain warfare. Media reports also described counter-terror drills in which assault teams cleared buildings and rooms at close quarters, supported by drones, trained dogs, robotic systems and snipers. Pairing Auli's high-altitude Himalayan setting with Mahajan's desert ranges lets the two armies practise coordinated operations in sharply different conditions.
Drafted with AI assistance from a live web search; a second AI pass confirmed the official link above and checked a sample of the facts against it. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
Exercise Yudh Abhyas is a bilateral India-US Army exercise that began in 2004, originally at the platoon-exchange level, under a Theater Security Cooperation Program sponsored by US Army Pacific. It is held annually, alternating between venues in India and the United States, and has grown over two decades into larger drills involving brigade-level manoeuvres, drones and live-fire elements.
Reference: U.S. Army's official article on Exercise Yudh Abhyas
Check yourself: did Yudh Abhyas begin as a large, brigade-level exercise?
No. It began in 2004 at the platoon-exchange level and has scaled up gradually over two decades to larger, more complex drills.
Revision task: from this release, separate the fixed facts (Yudh Abhyas's 2004 origin, its annual and alternating-venue format) from this year's specifics — the two simultaneous locations (Auli and Mahajan) and what each site focuses on.
Test yourself
Yudh Abhyas, whose 22nd edition began on 15 September 2026 at Auli in Uttarakhand, is a joint exercise of the Indian Army and the army of which country?
Show the answer
Answer: United States
Each side deployed 600 personnel; the exercise builds capability to employ Integrated Battle Groups in mountainous terrain, with training at Auli in Uttarakhand and at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.
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