Military Exercise Force Eighteen begins in Pune

March 2, 2016

The multinational Military Exercise Force Eighteen conducted by Indian Army has started in at Pune, Maharashtra.
In this seven-day military exercise (till March 8, 2016) over 300 participants from 18 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Plus countries are participating.
Participating countries

ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations viz. India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US .
10 ASEAN countries from South East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Key facts

Exercise Force Eighteen is the largest multinational ground forces exercise to be conducted on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peace Keeping Operations (PKO).
It is conducted by India as part of its ambitious Look (Act) East policy and it is one of the largest multi-national military exercises conducted in the country.
The exercise will allow the armies of these countries to develop a common understanding in handling any complex situation.
The exercise is part of a concerted attempt by India towards constructive joint efforts of ASEAN Plus militaries to enhance the peace and security of the region.
Note: Indian Army contingent of 40 soldiers is being led by Lt .Colonel Sofia Qureshi. She is the first women officer to lead Indian contingent in such exercise.

Exercise Force Eighteen

The multinational military exercise is an outcome of 2015 ADMM Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting).
During this meeting all participating countries had planned to conduct two separate exercises for Humanitarian Mine Action and UN Peace Keeping Operations in 2016.

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