Ajeya Warrior - India-UK Joint Military Exercise

Ajeya Warrior is a bilateral military exercise between India and the UK. The seventh edition of the Ajeya Warrior exercise took place from April 27th to May 11, 2023. Armies of both countries participate in this joint military exercise.

This article mentions all facts about Ajeya Warrior that you need to know for the IAS Exam.

Refer to the list of Indian army exercises mentioned in the linked article.

This topic is important for GS-III. Aspirants would find this topic very helpful while preparing for the UPSC Exam.

Important Facts about Exercise Ajeya Warrior

Just like similar army exercises, through the Ajeya Warrior exercise, India and the UK armies try to enhance interoperability with each other.

The first military training took place in 2013. The second and third editions of the Ajeya Warrior exercise took place in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

The Ajeya Warrior 2023 is the latest edition that is taking place in April 27th, 2023 at Salisbury Plains in UK. The previous (sixth) edition took place in the India in 2021.

Aim of the Exercise:

1. Train the soldiers of each army in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.
2. To strengthen strategic ties between India and the UK.
3. To gain operational experience from the joint military training.

India and the UK Defence Cooperation

India and the UK have been strategic partners since 2004. A few important points to note about the defence cooperation between both nations are:

1. In 2015, to intensify defence cooperation, Prime Ministers of both countries agreed on a new Defence and International Security Partnership
   • This included coordination in cybersecurity, counter-terrorism and maritime security.
2. In 2018, both countries signed 10 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) which included:
   • MoU on cyber-relationship framework
   • MoU on safe nuclear energy use
   • MoU on sharing of criminal records
3. Both nations facilitate institutionalised dialogues mechanisms that cover various spheres including defence:
   • Strategic Dialogue at NSA-level
   • Defence Consultative Group at Defence Secretary-level
   • Cyber Dialogue
   • CounterTerrorism Dialogue
4. At all the three services level, joint exercises and wide-ranging exchanges between the three services are conducted regularly.

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Other Exercises Between India & the UK

Konkan Exercise

1. It is a joint military exercise between the navies of India and the UK.
2. It was introduced in 2004.
3. The latest Konkan Exercise took place in 2021.
   • It took place on the English Channel.
   • INS Tabar participated from the Indian side.

Indradhanush Exercise

1. It is a joint military exercise between the air forces of India and the UK.
2. Two nations held the fifth edition of the Indradhanush exercise on 24th February 2020. It took place at Air Force Station, Hindan (Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh).
3. The theme of Indradhanush-2020 was Base Defence and Force Protection.

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