Exercise Nomadic Elephant: Indian Army team participates in joint military drill with Mongolian armed forces

An Indian Army contingent is partcipating in the 15th edition of bilateral joint military exercise 'Nomadic Elephant-23' in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with a focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

Troops of the Mongolian Armed Forces Unit 084 and Indian Army soldiers from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry will be participating in the exercise from July 17-31, 2023. The 43-member Indian Army contingent reached Ulaanbaatar on Sunday (July 16, 2023) by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft.

The Platoon level Field Training Exercise (FTX) will see Indian and Mongolian troops engaging in a wide range of training activities designed to enhance their skills and capabilities. These include endurance training, reflex firing, room intervention, small team tactics and rock craft training. Soldiers from both sides will learn from each other’s operational experience.

According to India's Ministry of Defence, the aim of this exercise is to build positive military relations, exchange best practices, develop inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies. The primary theme of the exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under United Nations mandate.

Exercise Nomadic Elephant is an annual training event with Mongolia which is conducted alternatively in Mongolia and India. The last edition was held at Special Forces Training School, Bakloh (Himachal Pradesh) in October 2019.

"India and Mongolia have a shared commitment to regional security and cooperation. Exercise Nomadic Elephant-23 will be yet another significant milestone in the defence cooperation between the Indian Army and Mongolian Army which will further foster bilateral relations between the two nations," the ministry said.