Indian Contingent Departs For a Joint Military Drill in Kazakhstan

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force contingent of 120 troops has left for Kazakhstan to participate in the 7th edition of Joint Military ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sunday.

According to the official release, ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’ will be held from October 30 to November 11 in Otar, Kazakhstan, with 90 Indian Army personnel participating, commanded by a Battalion from the DOGRA regiment.

Furthermore, Kazakhstan’s participation will be primarily represented by individuals from the Regional Command South of the Kazakh Ground Forces, with 30 personnel from both sides participating in the current edition of the Exercise alongside the Army contingents.

The ‘Exercise PRABAL DOSTYK’ joint exercise between India and Kazakhstan was established in 2016. The Exercise was raised to a company-level exercise and called ‘Exercise KAZIND’ after the second edition. According to the Ministry, the Exercise has been upgraded to a Bi-service Exercise this year by integrating an Air Force component.

Both sides will practice conducting Counter-Terrorism operations in a non-conventional setting under the United Nations mandate in this round of the Exercise. The contingents will practice various tactical drills such as raids, search and destroy operations, small team insertion and extraction operations, and so on. The Exercise’s scope also includes counter-unmanned aerial system operations.

In order to develop combined military capabilities, ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’ will provide an opportunity for both sides to gain an understanding of each other’s tactics, battle drills, and procedures, which is required when operating under the auspices of the United Nations.

The joint training will provide the skills, resilience, and cooperation required to perform joint military operations in semi-urban and urban situations.

Both teams will have the opportunity to conduct drills on a wide range of combat skills and learn from one another.

According to the ministry’s statement, the exercise will allow contingents to exchange ideas and share best practices. ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’ will fortify the alliance between the two militaries.

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