Archive · 21 Sep 2026
India, US Armies Conduct Joint Combat Drills in Uttarakhand
India and the United States are holding a military training exercise called Yudh Abhyas 2026.
Soldiers from both countries are practising how to work together.
They trained in thick vegetation, indoor shooting and mountain activities.
At Auli, they used simulation rounds and practised small-team movements.
They also trained with India’s AK-203 rifle at an indoor range.
The exercise ended its mountain training with soldiers rappelling down a rock face.
About 600 soldiers from each country are taking part.
The exercise is being held in Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.
It also includes drones and autonomous systems for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 features joint jungle warfare, indoor firing and rappelling drills at Auli.
Indian Army troops from the Garhwal Regiment trained alongside soldiers from the United States Army’s 11th Airborne Division.
The forces operated in integrated squads, practised small-unit tactics and used simulation rounds during jungle exercises.
Troops trained with the India-made AK-203 rifle at Auli’s newly operationalised indoor shooting range.
The two-week exercise began September 15 and involves about 600 personnel from each country at sites in Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.
- Who
- Indian Army personnel from the Garhwal Regiment and United States Army soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division.
- What
- They are conducting Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026, including jungle warfare, indoor firing, small-unit tactics and rock-face rappelling.
- When
- The two-week exercise began on September 15, 2026.
- Where
- Training is taking place at the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand and the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.
- Why
- The exercise aims to improve interoperability, joint planning and execution, and the two armies’ ability to conduct infantry-led operations in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain.
- Exercise
- Yudh Abhyas 2026, the 22nd India-US joint military exercise
- Participants
- Around 600 personnel from each country
- Indian contingent
- Indian Army personnel from the Garhwal Regiment
- US contingent
- United States Army soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division
- Locations
- Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand and Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan
- Training activities
- Jungle warfare, indoor firing, small-unit tactics, mountain warfare and rappelling
- Technology focus
- Drones and autonomous systems for surveillance and reconnaissance