The third edition of the India-Australia joint military exercise, AUSTRAHIND, began on November 8 at the Foreign Training Node in Pune and will continue until November 21. This exercise aims to strengthen defense cooperation and interoperability between the Indian and Australian armed forces. Started in 2022 in Rajasthan, AUSTRAHIND has become an annual event, alternating between both countries.
This year, the focus is on enhancing joint capabilities for sub-conventional operations in semi-urban and semi-desert environments under a UN mandate. The exercise includes 140 Indian personnel, mainly from the DOGRA Regiment, and 120 Australian soldiers from the 13th Light Horse Regiment. It will be conducted in two phases: combat conditioning/tactical training and a validation phase, featuring counter-terrorism tactics, joint operations, search and destroy missions, and heli-borne operations.
India and Australia’s defense ties also include other exercises like AUSINDEX (maritime) and PITCHBLACK (air force) and regular policy dialogues. The start of AUSTRAHIND follows External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent visit to Australia, further strengthening their diplomatic and strategic relationship.
