Yudh Abhyas

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US, Indian troops plan live-fire exercises

WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - U.S. and Indian troops will this month stage their biggest joint maneuvers, including live fire exercises, as the two nuclear powers build up military ties, a senior U.S. officer said on Tuesday.

Lieutenant General Benjamin Mixon, commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, said 200 U.S. soldiers and 17 Stryker infantry combat vehicles were taking part in the Yudh Abhyas exercises at Babina, south of New Delhi, from Oct. 12 to 29.

It is the largest contingent sent by the United States to the annual joint exercises since they began in 2004.

India had a close military relationship with Moscow until the collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the 1990s but is now deepening ties with Washington, which is also trying to balance long-standing ties with neighboring Pakistan.

"As we look at the Pacific in this century, the important players that we are going to see ... are certainly India, Indonesia and China," Mixon said.

The exercise will integrate elements of the two armies for live fire tests involving the eight-wheel armored Strykers and an equivalent number of Indian vehicles. In past years the two armies engaged only in "table-top" exercises.

It will be the largest deployment of Strykers outside Iraq or Afghanistan. Indian military officials have expressed interest in the vehicle, which has machine guns, grenade launchers and cannons and can travel at over 60 mph (100 kph).

Mixon said it was not the intent of the exercise to promote Stryker sales to India, but added: "With the success that we have had with the Stryker, I wouldn't be surprised if the Indians are interested."

Indian officials have indicated preliminary interest in the vehicle, built by General Dynamics Corp (GD.N), a source familiar with the Stryker program said.

Mixon said the exercise was planned long before militant attacks in Mumbai last November, but the incident underscored the importance of U.S. efforts to work with countries in the region on issues like counterinsurgency.

US, Indian troops plan live-fire exercises | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters

 

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US Dept of Defense - Strykers to Deploy to India for Exercise

The Army plans to deploy 17 of its Stryker combat vehicles this month to India for the first exercise of its kind in the country.

This is also the largest deployment of the Strykers outside of those sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, Army officials said.

“It’s one of the most important training exercises that we’ve done with the Indian military to date,” Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon said today at a news conference here. Mixon commands all Army forces in the U.S. Pacific Command area.

About 200 troops from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, based out of Hawaii, will train alongside the Indian army in combat maneuvers using the Strykers, Mixon said. An Indian army unit of about the same size will join the Stryker crews in Babina, about 275 miles southeast of New Delhi, for the two-week exercise starting Oct. 12. The two armies will share tactics for using the Strykers in combat, as well as its integrated computer network system, Mixon said.

The exercise will end with a live-fire demonstration of the Stryker.

“We’re very excited about it,” the general said. “We think it’s going to be a good experience for our soldiers, as well as a very important part of our relationship with India.”

This exercise, more than two years in the planning, comes as the Defense Department continues to reach out to India to increase its military collaboration. Pacific Command’s top officer, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, last month traveled to India and said officials there have committed to increasing their military relationship with the United States. Mixon said this exercise will help to build on that relationship and open doors for expanding such training there.

“We view it as a broad effort in our engagement strategy with the Indians that we want to continue to expand. It provides a … method to get at more engagements,” he said.

Mixon said the Indian army is anxious to train with the Strykers. Most military exercises in the country, he explained, have been limited to scenario-driven, commander-level exercises in which few troops are involved. Some of them included unit or troop exchanges between militaries. When U.S. forces join with other militaries in the region, the scenario typically includes both tactical and humanitarian training. This exercise is unique in that it strictly focuses on combat training and does not include a humanitarian piece.

“It’s the full gamut,” Mixon said. “It’s on the high end of fighting.”

The two armies also will share training on how to fight improvised explosive devices. More than half of the U.S. soldiers involved are fresh from a deployment in Iraq, where they dealt regularly with the homemade bomb attacks.

The unit is part of the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and is slated to return to Iraq within months after this training mission.

In the Pacific region, the U.S. Army also trains with the militaries from Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. The region’s largest combined exercise, called Cobra Gold, includes militaries from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and observers from 20 other countries. The next exercise in that series is slated for February.

“We’ve got a very active engagement strategy with all of the militaries throughout the Pacific region,” Mixon said. “It’s a very important part of what we do.”

 

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Indo-US 'Yudh Abhyas' next week-India-TIMESNOW.tv - Latest Breaking News, Big News Stories, News Videos

 

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US Troops with Stryker In India

Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 in Babina, India, Oct. 10. YA09, which is scheduled for Oct. 12-27, is a bilateral exercise involving the Armies of India and the United States. The primary goal of the exercise is to develop and expand upon the relationship between the Indian and U.S. Army.

 

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First Sgt. Devin Winnegan, senior enlisted Soldier for Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, addresses Soldiers with safety matters for driving their recently unloaded Stryker vehicles. The squadron is preparing for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 in Babina, India, Oct. 10. YA09, which is scheduled for Oct. 12-27, is a bilateral exercise involving the Armies of India and the United States. The primary goal of the exercise is to develop and expand upon the relationship between the Indian and U.S. Army.

 

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Sgt. Deshaun White, a cavalry scout assigned to Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, unties ropes on the bed of a truck to prepare vehicles for unloading, in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09

 

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Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, drive through the Indian Army military base in Babina, India in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 Oct. 10.

 

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Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, work with the Indian Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Armored Mechanized Battalion, 94th Armored Brigade, 31st Armored Division, to prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 in Babina, India, Oct. 10.

 

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Spc. Paul West, a mortarman assigned to Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, removes chains while unloading vehicles in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 in Babina, India, Oct. 10.

 

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CAMP BUNDELA, India (Oct. 10, 2009)- Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abyas 09.

 

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CAMP BUNDELA, India (Oct. 10, 2009)- Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abyas 09.

 

[Born In The USA]

CAMP BUNDELA, India (Oct. 10, 2009)- Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abyas 09.

 

[Born In The USA]

CAMP BUNDELA, India (Oct. 10, 2009)- Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, prepare vehicles for unloading in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abyas 09.

 

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CAMP BUNDELA, India (Oct. 10, 2009)- Indian Army Soldiers assist U.S. Army Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in in preparation for Exercise Yudh Abyas 09.