India News | Indian Army to Hold Mega Exercise with African Countries in March
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Indian Army will hold a mega multilateral exercise with militaries of around 40 African countries in March with an aim to significantly expand two-way military engagement, officials said on Thursday.
New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) The Indian Army will hold a mega multilateral exercise with militaries of around 40 African countries in March with an aim to significantly expand two-way military engagement, officials said on Thursday.
The Army is planning to hold a conclave of chiefs of armies of the participating nations on the sidelines of the military drills in Pune.
At a press conference ahead of Army Day on January 15, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande mentioned about the upcoming exercise.
"We are holding an exercise with African countries in March," he said.
Another official said around 40 countries are participating in the mega exercise that will witness major military drills.
In the last few years, India has been focusing on ramping up overall defence and strategic ties with the African continent amid China's growing attempts to expand its influence over the countries.
To a separate question, Gen Pande said about 45 per cent of the Indian Army's equipment falls under the vintage category while 41 per cent comes under current technology.
He said some 12 to 15 per cent are state-of-the-art.
"By 2030, because of our modernisation plan, we will reach a figure of 35 per cent current technology and 44 per cent state of the art," he said.
Listing new initiatives, Gen Pande said the Indian Army has launched standardised mixed martial arts (MMA) programme for its soldiers.
When asked if there was any impact on military movement because of cracks developed in Uttarakhand's Joshimath, he said some troops were relocated but asserted that there was no impact on operational matters.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)