Dharma Guardian, an India-Japan bilateral army exercise, ended on Thursday in Belgaum, while Australian Army Chief Lt. Gen. Richard Maxwell Burr, who is on a four-day visit to India, saw a firepower display at the Pokhran firing range.
“Both contingents not only offered their expertise on contemporary counter-terrorism operations but also took advantage of this chance to share their experiences with disruptive technology such as drone and anti-drone weapons,” the Army said in a statement about the exercise.
Self defense force of India and Japan completed their annual drill
The exercise also provided a platform for professional and cultural learning as well as social connections, which widened their horizons in terms of knowledge and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region, according to the release. On February 27, the Indian Army and the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force commenced their annual drill Dharma Guardian.
Australia and Japan, both members of the Quad grouping, took part in the Indian Navy’s multilateral naval exercise Milan, which ended last week at Visakhapatnam.
Tribute At the war memorial
Lt. Gen. Burr conducted a visit to Longewala, Pokhran, and Jodhpur in Rajasthan on Thursday, where he paid tribute to the Indian Army’s fallen heroes in the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict at the Longewala war memorial, according to the Army. He also saw a “demonstration of indigenous weapons platforms conducting operational maneuvers in a combined arms fire exercise combining armor, artillery, infantry, and aircraft elements” at the Pokhran field firing ranges.
Lt. Gen. Burr came to India on Tuesday and met with the three Service Chiefs as well as other senior military officers on Wednesday. “Both Chiefs exchanged perspectives on the current global scenario as well as the situation in the Indo-Pacific,” the Army stated of the meeting with Army Chief General Manoj Naravane.
The famous National Defence College’s teachers and attendees were also addressed by the visiting Chief. On Friday, he will pay a visit to Indian Army formations and units stationed along the western border before wrapping off his trip.