The Indian Army contingent comprising 25 personnel departed for Jakarta today to take part in the 9th edition of India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise GARUD SHAKTI 24. The Exercise will be conducted from 1st to 12th of this month. The Indian contingent is being represented by troops from The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and Indonesian contingent comprising 40 personnel is represented by Indonesian Special Forces Kopassus.

The aim of the Exercise is to acquaint both the sides with each other’s operating procedures, enhance mutual understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special Forces of both armies. The Exercise is designed to develop bilateral military cooperation and strengthen bond between two armies through conduct of discussions and rehearsal of tactical military drills. It will involve planning and execution of special operations, orientation to advance special forces skills, sharing of information on weapon, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques and procedures.

It will also involve joint practice of Special Forces Operations in Jungle terrain, strikes on terrorist camps and a Validation Exercise integrating basic and advance special forces skills apart from gaining an insight into the lifestyle and culture of both countries to foster military cooperation. The Exercise will provide an opportunity to both the contingents to strengthen their bond and share best practices. It will also act as a platform to achieve shared security objectives and foster bilateral relations between two nations.