Indian Army's Joint Exercises with 8 Friendly Foreign Countries in NE | Explained

Indian Army has engaged positively in the field of Defence Cooperation by conducting 36 joint exercises with 22 Friendly Foreign Countries. 

Aiming to host foreign armies for Joint Training Exercises, the Indian Army had conceptualised and created an Independent and fully integrated Joint Training Node (JTN) at Umroi in 2016. Umroi located on the Northern foothills of Shillong, along the Umiam River. Umroi was envisaged as a JTN keeping in mind the conducive weather conditions and terrain configuration offering optimal training environment. It has been developed at par with training centres of leading armies of the world.

JTN Umroi is the nominated Node of the Eastern Command of Indian Army for conduct of Joint Exercises with Friendly Foreign Countries. In last seven years it has matured as a Centre of Excellence for International Army Joint Training and focussed on strengthening military level exchanges. It reinforces Indian Army’s commitment towards building partnerships with Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) by building soldierly bonds, sharing best practices and training shoulders to shoulder on pursuit of common end state.  The JTN reflects India’s commitment towards enhancing cooperation among Friendly Foreign Nations and promoting global peace and stability through mutual learning and collaboration. 

Since inception the Umroi Joint Training Node has witnessed rapid progress in Infrastructure development & has graduated from the conduct of one Command Post Exercise in October 2017 to show a total of eight Joint Exercises with Friendly Foreign Countries till date.

The training area spreads over 2500 acres encompasses state of the art training facilities for the conduct of the Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist operations in Semi-Urban and Jungle environment under the mandate of United Nations for Peace Keeping and Peace Enforcement operations.  The training areas include an 800 meter Sniper Range with 6 firing lanes and elevated platforms. A challenging 1.4 kilometres Battle Obstacle Course with 17 obstacles, culminating into the 300 meter Range with eight firing lanes, which is utilised for training on endurance and firing skills. The 200 meter Jungle Lane Shooting Area and Indoor Combat Reflex Shooting Range is optimally designed to train on Jungle and Urban Warfare including the Counter Terrorist Village Training Area in training of house intervention operations. The Special operations training area enables training of soldiers for heliborne operations.

The state of the art Joint Warfare Centre includes state of art IT infrastructure and network enabled Wargame Centre for the Command Post Exercises to ensure integration of Command Control Communication Computer Intelligence & Information Systems.

The Training Node has residential complex for 450 soldiers nestled in the tranquil climes of Shillong Hills and has various amenities, including souvenir shops, showcasing Indian cultural artefacts, state of art gymnasium and sports facilities for conduct of recreation and friendly matches. All infrastructure is eco-friendly and conforms to the highest standards of maintaining ecosystem of Umroi Military Station.

As the exercise ‘Harimau Shakti’ progresses, the camaraderie and collaboration among the participating nations continue to deepen, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose. This intercontinental partnership serves not only to strengthen global security but also to establish a platform for mutual growth and understanding among nations.

This amalgamation of cutting edge technology with traditional training methods establishes an unparalleled learning environment, shaping the next generation of military leadership.

The ongoing exercise at this excellent facility arc a testament to the power of international collaboration and the relentless pursuit of military excellence, enhancing cooperation & interoperability and serving as a beacon of hope for a more secure and rules based international order.

Additional Information

Amenities and Training Facilities in the JTN are Listed Below.

1. Amenities  

(a) Foreign Contingent Accommodation: The NALANDA BLOCK is the troops’ accommodation block for the JTN with a capacity of 130 troops, integrated with the facilities like Messing, Canteen, Café and 24 x7 Wifi connection.  The HORNBILL Mess is the accommodation facility that caters for the comfortable stay of the officers for the participating contingents. It comprises of 28 Participants’ and 02 observers’ fully furnished rooms and a Mess for dining facility. It also provides amenities like gymnasium, café, souvenir shop etc, to provide a comfortable stay to the participating contingents.

2. Training Facilities  

(a) Joint Warfare Centre: Institution where officers from both the participating Armies brainstorm warfare modalities being followed in their respective nations for a particular type of operations. Comprises of Central Discussion Hall, three Conference Halls, three Joint Ops Room & Offices and an Office Lounge. The Warfare Centre is fully computerised & network enabled. The Central Discussion Hall has the seating of 60 officers, equipped with a 16 panel data wall and other audio visual aids to conduct central discussions, joint briefings & conferences.

(b) Battle Obstacle Course: Battle Obstacle Course comprises of 17 obstacles over a distance of 1.4 Kilometers of varying difficulty. Both the armies share best practices being followed in negotiating various kinds of obstacles.

(c) Reflex Shooting Range: Dynamic firing training institute to practice troops in room intervention drills under Semi-Urban Counter Terrorism environment. There are a total of six rooms crafted within the complex with each room posing different type of target.

(d) Drona Training Area  

(i) Small Arms Firing Range: The Small Arms Firing Range training area includes firing points from the ranges of 100, 200 & 300 meters. At a time of firing a detail of eight firers can fire at the range. The range is being used to train with troops of the Friendly Foreign Countries for small arms firing from different ranges & positions, and fire and move drills during tactical operations.

(ii) Heliborne Operations Training Area: Three Slithering Platforms of 10 meter height to practice Heliborne Operations before the troops participate in the exercises with the aircrafts.

(iii) Jungle Shooting Lane: Two Jungle lanes of are approximately 200 meters length. During training, one buddy pair is made to undergo practice at a time, with the observer moving and recording his hits from the Observer Lane. The lanes are fitted with targets on Multi-functional Target System and Moving Trolley Target System to give the troops a feel of real operational environment.

(e) Endurance Trekking Lane: The endurance trek of distance of four kilometers has been created with graduating degree of difficulty for endurance building and conduct of Counter Insurgency/ Terrorism based exercises in jungle scenario.

(f) Validation Exercise Training Area: The training area is to practice operations in semi-urban areas for conduct of Counter Terrorism based exercises involving Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), Room Intervention, Heliborne Operations & Causality Evacuation. A mock village has been created to practice in a simulated environment for these operations.

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