The India-US defence partnership has moved further towards operational cooperation, with the latest bilateral army exercise bringing troops from both countries together for high-altitude warfare, counter-drone training, live-fire operations and combined air assaults.

The 22nd edition of the annual exercise concluded on September 27 after training across Auli in Uttarakhand and the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. Official Indian and US military accounts say approximately 600 American soldiers and 600 Indian soldiers participated, making it one of the more substantial editions of the bilateral army drill.

The cooperation has continued beyond the exercise. On September 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation in which they reviewed bilateral cooperation in defence, trade, energy and critical technologies and agreed to maintain close engagement.

How Yudh Abhyas Fits Into the India-US Defence Partnership

Yudh Abhyas began on September 15 at Auli and Mahajan, with the Indian Ministry of Defence saying the training was intended to strengthen the two armies' ability to operate together in mountainous and semi-mountainous terrain. The India US military exercise focused on integrated operations rather than troops from the two countries simply training alongside each other. It included a brigade-level command post exercise, field manoeuvres, mountain and cold-weather warfare, counterterrorism scenarios, drone operations and exchanges between subject-matter experts.

At Auli, troops practised jungle warfare, rappelling, building-clearing operations, sniper techniques and air assaults. US Army reporting said a September 25 operation placed personnel from both armies within the same manoeuvre formations, including troops deploying from Indian Army Dhruv Mk III helicopters to seize simulated objectives. That level of integration matters because interoperability is not simply about using compatible equipment. It also involves understanding how another military plans missions, communicates, moves troops and responds when battlefield conditions change.

What Indian and American Troops Actually Trained For

Training covered both conventional battlefield operations and threats that have become increasingly important in modern conflicts. At the Mahajan Field Firing Range, the armies conducted live-fire activities involving artillery, aviation, air defence, surveillance and counter-unmanned aircraft systems. US military reporting also identified HIMARS, Stinger systems and the Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, or M-LIDS, among the technologies incorporated into the exercise.

The American soldiers also trained directly with Indian weapons, vehicles and unmanned systems. US Army personnel were given hands-on exposure to Indian equipment, while personnel from the two sides flew drones and compared how their units use battlefield technology. For Indian soldiers, the exercise provided exposure to US systems and operational approaches, including counter-drone capabilities. For an Indian Army soldier, this kind of training can mean working with another military's equipment and procedures in the field instead of learning about them only through demonstrations or classroom briefings.

The Indian Ministry of Defence said technology infusion was a central part of the exercise, particularly the use of drones and autonomous systems for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Why Drones and Counter-Drone Systems Were a Major Focus

One of the clearest themes was the growing importance of unmanned systems. Drones are now widely used for reconnaissance, target identification and battlefield surveillance, while counter-UAS systems are becoming increasingly important for protecting troops and military installations. The exercise therefore included both drone operations and technologies intended to detect or defeat unmanned aircraft.

US Army scouts and Indian Army personnel also combined drones with sniper and jungle-warfare drills at Auli. According to the US Army, the training allowed troops to compare movement techniques and integrate unmanned systems into small-unit operations.

This is one area where an Indian Army soldier and a US counterpart can directly compare tactics developed in different operational environments. Indian troops bring extensive experience in mountainous terrain, while US formations participating in this year's exercise included personnel from the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division, which specialises in Arctic and cold-weather operations.

Beyond Exercises: Defence Manufacturing Is Becoming More Important

Joint training is only one part of the expanding relationship. Defence manufacturing and technology cooperation are also becoming increasingly prominent. On August 31, Tata Advanced Systems and the Javelin Joint Venture - formed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin - announced a memorandum of understanding to explore production of the Javelin All Up Round in India.

The agreement does not mean a full Indian production line is already operational. The companies said they will explore establishing final assembly and integration facilities as well as component-production capabilities in India. For the India-US defence partnership, that distinction is important. The relationship has historically included large defence purchases, but both governments have increasingly discussed co-development, co-production and stronger industrial supply chains rather than relying only on finished equipment imports.

The 2025 Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership identifies defence industrial capacity, advanced technology cooperation and stronger interoperability across land, maritime, air, space and cyber domains among its priorities.

A Relationship Built Through Several Military Agreements

Today's military cooperation rests on agreements developed over several years. India and the United States signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, or LEMOA, in 2016. COMCASA followed in 2018, allowing expanded use of secure communications systems, while the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, or BECA, was signed in 2020 to facilitate geospatial information sharing.

These agreements created mechanisms that can support logistics, communications and information exchange during military cooperation. The India US military exercise is therefore part of a broader network of engagements rather than a standalone event. The two countries also participate in exercises such as Malabar, Tiger Triumph, Vajra Prahar and Cope India, covering naval, tri-service, special-forces and air-force cooperation.

Cooperation Continues After the Army Exercise

The end of the bilateral army drill did not mark the end of US military participation in exercises in India. The Indian Air Force began the operational phase of Tarang Shakti 2026 at Jodhpur on September 27. The multilateral air exercise runs from September 26 to October 12 and includes the United States alongside Australia, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Aircraft listed by India's Ministry of Defence include the F-35 Lightning II, Rafale, F-16, A400M, C-130 series and aerial-refuelling platforms. That overlap - with the army exercise ending as the air exercise entered its operational phase - illustrates how military engagement has expanded across services.

The September 30 Modi-Trump conversation added another official signal of continued engagement. The Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders reviewed defence cooperation alongside trade, energy and critical technologies and reaffirmed their intention to advance the broader Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. The official statement did not announce a new defence agreement or procurement deal.

What the Latest Exercise Actually Shows

The significance of the latest exercise lies less in troop numbers than in the type of training undertaken. The two armies were not limited to ceremonial exchanges or separate demonstrations. They worked through combined planning, live-fire activity, counter-drone operations and manoeuvres in which formations from both countries operated together.

At the same time, military exercises should not be treated as evidence that the two countries have entered a formal military alliance. India and the United States describe their relationship as a Major Defense Partnership, while India continues to pursue what its government describes as strategic autonomy in its foreign and security policy.

The India-US defence partnership is nevertheless becoming more operational and technologically focused. The September exercise, the proposed Javelin industrial cooperation, the ongoing Tarang Shakti air drills and the September 30 leaders' call all show that military training, defence technology and industrial cooperation are now developing in parallel rather than as separate tracks.