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हिन्दी — Read in HindiExercises and defence diplomacy
Joint military exercises and the policy of defence diplomacy that frames them.
Asked before
- Prelims 2026: Which one of the following pairs of Indian Army Corps and Headquarters is not correctly matched?
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- Mains 2025 GS2: India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate.
- Prelims 2024: Which of the following is/are correctly matched in terms of equivalent rank in the three services of Indian Defence forces? 1. Brigadier…
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- Prelims 2024: Which of the following statements about Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023 are correct? 1. This was a joint military exercise between India and B…
Exercises in news, August 2026
Copy link to Exercises in news, August 2026BriefPrelims14 Aug 2026
| Exercise | Partner | Service | Place | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch Black 2026 | Royal Australian Air Force, with air forces of over 20 nations | Air Force (Rafale) | Australia | concluded August 2026 |
| Udara Shakti 2026 | Royal Malaysian Air Force (bilateral) | Air Force | Malaysia | concluded August 2026 |
| India-US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise 2026 | United States Navy | Navy | Southern Naval Command, Kochi | 10 to 14 August 2026 |
Sources
- News On AIR, 22 August 2026, “IAF concludes high tempo multinational exercises Pitch Black and Udara Shakti 2026”
- The Tribune
- The Hindu
RAKSHA: a ten year roadmap for defence diplomacy
Copy link to RAKSHA: a ten year roadmap for defence diplomacyStandardPrelims and Mains3 Sep 2026
What it is
- Defence diplomacy is the use of the armed forces and the defence establishment for foreign policy ends: exercises, training, attachés, arms sales and disaster response. India has had no public framework for it; the Defence Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry ran it case by case.
What happened
- On 3 September 2026 the Defence Minister released RAKSHA, a document on defence diplomacy that sets a roadmap for India's defence partnerships over the next ten years. Its four pillars: strategic partnerships (bilateral and multilateral security cooperation); capacity building (joint exercises, training and best practices with friendly countries); indigenous exports (Make in India platforms, to make India a reliable supplier); and maritime security (India as net security provider and first responder in the Indian Ocean region).
Why it matters
- The export pillar ties diplomacy to industry: a partner that buys Indian platforms needs Indian training, spares and exercises for decades, which is how partnerships outlast governments.
- The document gives the exercises in the table below a strategy to sit inside; before it they were a calendar.
Exam lens
- Prelims: released 3 September 2026 by the Defence Minister; four pillars; ten year horizon; net security provider and first responder.
- Mains: defence diplomacy as an instrument of foreign policy, with the Indian Ocean as its test.
Asked before: Prelims 2024 · Mains 2020 GS2
Show the questions
- Prelims 2024: Which of the following statements about Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023 are correct? 1. This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh. 2. It commenced in Aundh (Pune). 3. Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation. 4. Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise. Select the answer using the code given below:
- Mains 2020 GS2: What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sources
- PIB, 3 September 2026, “Raksha Mantri unveils 'RAKSHA' defence diplomacy document”
ASEAN India Maritime Exercise
Copy link to ASEAN India Maritime ExerciseBriefPrelims29 Sep 2026
- The ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME) is a naval exercise of the Indian Navy and the navies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
- The second edition was held in the Philippines, ending 29 September 2026; the first was held in 2023. It supports maritime cooperation under the Act East Policy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific.
Sources
- News on AIR, 29 September 2026
Exercises in news, September 2026
Copy link to Exercises in news, September 2026BriefPrelims28 Sep 2026
| Exercise | Partner | Service | Place | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yudh Abhyas 2026 | United States | Army | Auli (Uttarakhand), with live firing at Mahajan field firing range (Rajasthan) | 15 to 28 September 2026 |
| ASEAN India Maritime Exercise (AIME) 2026, second edition | ASEAN navies | Navy | Philippines | ended 29 September 2026 |
Sources
- US Army, 15 September 2026, “US, Indian armies open exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026”
- News on AIR, 29 September 2026
Exercises in news, July 2026
Copy link to Exercises in news, July 2026BriefPrelims20 Jul 2026
| Exercise | Partner | Service | Place | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch Black 2026 | Royal Australian Air Force, with 19 partner nations and about 100 aircraft | Air Force (four Rafales, two C-17s, an IL-78 tanker) | Northern Australia | 20 July to 7 August 2026 |
| Bilateral exercise with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force | JS Takanami, of Japan's counter piracy deployment | Navy (INS Surat) | Arabian Sea | 8 July 2026 |
Sources
- News On AIR, 20 July 2026
- News On AIR, 18 June 2026
- Japan Joint Staff, 8 July 2026
Exercises in news, June 2026
Copy link to Exercises in news, June 2026BriefPrelims20 Jun 2026
| Exercise | Partner | Service | Place | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khaan Quest 2026 (23rd edition) | Mongolian Armed Forces, multinational | Army (a Jat Regiment contingent of 40) | Five Hills Training Area, Ulaanbaatar | 20 June to 3 July 2026 |
Sources
- News On AIR, 18 June 2026