Armies of 13 countries gathered in Meghalaya’s Umri to participate in the first multilateral military exercise ‘Pragati 2026’ that concluded on Saturday with a focus on counter-insurgency and building mutual trust among countries in the Indian Ocean region, officials said.
They added that more than 400 soldiers, including about 20 women, from Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India, slid out of helicopters, discovered explosive devices along roads and climbed rock walls during the two-week training.
Detailed discussions on how to integrate specialized technologies and their impact on tactics, techniques and procedures were held during the two-week programme.
“Exercise Pragati was massive in the serene environment of Umroi in Meghalaya. We conducted several specialized exercises and procedures, including rock craft, helicopter operations, and tactical situations,” said Brigadier Mayur Shekatkar, principal coordinator of the programme.
Exercise Director Colonel Sandeep Poonia said Pragati represents the “military-regional partnership for growth and transformation in the Indian Ocean region”.
“The aim is to create synergy, interoperability and enhance mutual trust among friendly foreign countries. We have been training together for the past two weeks, during which the focus was on counter-insurgency operations based in semi-mountainous and forested areas,” he said.
Shekatkar emphasized that it provided a platform to build friendship and camaraderie among the participating countries, as individuals grew closer by engaging in sports and games as well as cultural activities.
This routine also enabled them to experience the serenity of yoga, he added.
“We hope to achieve the goals of enhancing interoperability and building mutual trust and each other’s capabilities by sharing best practices. There is also the aspect of lasting bonds of friendship, with one goal being to ensure a stable and secure region,” the Brigadier General said.
Colonel Sandeep Poonia said: “Detailed discussions were held on how to integrate the latest specialized technologies, and what is their impact on our operations in TTPs (Tactics, Technology and Procedures).”
The exercise also provided an opportunity to share key best practices in the engineering field.
“As part of the exercise, we trained in tactical environments where key engineering tasks were performed, and best practices were shared. For example, counter-IED exercises were conducted in a simulated combat environment,” said Major Susmita S. Variar, engineering representative for the exercise.
Working in mixed groups with personnel from foreign countries has given valuable exposure to various tactical exercises, equipment and operating procedures, which will enhance coordination, she added.
The participating foreign countries expressed their gratitude to the Indian Army for hosting such an exercise.
“We thank the Indian Army for organizing this exercise, which was successful. It was an opportunity for us to interact with other countries’ forces, learn and share our counter-insurgency experience and expertise,” said Lt. Col. Sanjay Janchu of the Royal Bhutan Army.
He said it was valuable exposure to working alongside different countries.
Lieutenant Colonel Louis Agathene spoke about the historical relations between his country, Seychelles, and India, and said that such exercises will strengthen friendship across the Indian Ocean region.
“We are happy to exchange ideas, and we will apply what we have learned,” he said.
Echoing their thoughts, Sergeant Mary Simongo from the Philippines said: “We extend our sincere thanks to the Indian Army for this exercise. We have gained valuable knowledge and insights, which we will take back home.”
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
