Vajra Prahar: India-US Joint Military Exercise, 2019

A joint military training exercise “Vajra Prahar” is conducted in Seattle between October 13, 2019 and October 28, 2019. The exercise is conducted alternately in India and US. The Special Forces and the Southern Command of Indian Armed Forces will participate in the exercise

Significance of Vajra Prahar

Around 45 – member special forces team will train alongside US special forces. It will enable the soldiers to train in areas such as operational tactics and joint mission planning.

Special Forces of India

The special forces of the Indian army are those forces that are under the direct command of the Indian military. They are specifically organized, trained and equipped. They support special operations. Special operations are law enforcement, military and intelligence operations that are carried out using unconventional methods and sources. The primary goal of these operations is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force might affect the overall outcome. The US relied on special operations between 2003 and 2012 for its national security. The purpose of the special operations was to identify, hunt and kill terrorists.

The Special Forces was created in 1966 during the Indo – Pakistan war, 1965. The Parachute Regiment was the first Special operations unit. The special forces were involved in Operation Blue star, Operation Pawan, Operation Cactus and Kargil war.

Southern Command

The Southern Command was formed in 1895. It has seen the action of integration of several Princely states. The commendable jobs of the command include 1961 Indian Annexation of Goa, 1965 and 1971 Indo – Pakistani wars. It also participated in World War II.

A month back, in September 2019, the joint Exercise “Yudh Abhyas” was conducted in Washington DC.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2019