India & China hand-in-hand! Don’t be shocked, it is only for joint military exercises

Asia's two largest military powers – Indian and China - are coming together to conduct a combined military training exercise from October 12 to 23 at Kunming Military Academy, Yunnan.

The exercise, which would be the fifth exercise of the series, is going to bring together troops of an Infantry sub-unit and a formation headquarter of the Indian Army and similar participation from the Chinese Army for the joint training, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence.

The military exercise series was started between the two countries in 2007.

The motive behind the military training is to strengthen and broaden interoperability and cooperation between both the armies as well as complement a number of other exchanges between the two forces.

Over the years, Indian and China have decided to progressively increase the scope and content of the combined training. “The 12-day exercise will lay emphasis on joint handling of insurgency at sub-unit level and related issues, while the aspect of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief will be discussed at formation headquarters level," said the statement.

The exercise curriculum has been planned in a manner that participants will initially be made to get familiar with each others organisational structure, weapons, equipment and tactical drills.

Subsequently, battle drill of both the armies will be rehearsed under Joint Tactical Exercises.

"Commanders and staff officers of both sides will work in close co-ordination to receive and collate intelligence and to issue suitable operational orders to the combined field training components, who in turn will execute these orders on ground," it said.

A consolidation and validation exercise will be witnessed by senior officers and observers of both the armies at the end of the joint training, in which troops of both nations will carry out sub-unit level counter insurgency operation training.

(Image: Indiatimes)