After Trishul, why is India holding Poorvi Prachand Prahar, military drill in Arunachal?

The Indian armed forces are all set to hold a tri-service exercise in Arunachal Pradesh. ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ will be launched on November 11 in the rugged mountains of Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh.

Designed as a forward-looking exercise, it will test the operational synergy between the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. The drill on India’s eastern front comes in the wake of several operational activities on the western borders.

Let’s take a closer look.

What is ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’?

‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ will integrate warfighting capability and technological adaptation among the three wings of the armed forces, as per an official statement.

The exercise, which will conclude on November 15, will provide a full spectrum of joint operations between the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, reflecting the “theatre command" concept that India has adopted, as per a News18 report.

The military drill will focus on multi-domain integration across land, air and maritime fronts, demonstrating the enhanced readiness of the Indian armed forces for future conflicts, Defence PRO Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said in a statement on November 1.

He added, “The highlight of the exercise will be the coordinated employment of special forces, unmanned platforms, precision systems and networked operations centres operating in unison under realistic high-altitude conditions."

The tri-service exercise aims to hone interoperability, increase situational awareness and validate command and control structures for joint mission execution.

According to Rawat, revised tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) will be tested and corroborated to boost combat agility and adaptability.

Exercise ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ is significant in India’s tri-service integration effort, following the successful completion of military exercises ‘Bhala Prahar’ in 2023 and ‘Poorvi Prahar’ last year.

The military drill “reinforces the Armed Forces’ collective resolve to maintain mission readiness and joint operational effectiveness in the defence of the nation”, Lt Col Rawat said in the statement.

The China threat in Arunachal

Poorvi Prachand Prahar is seen as part of India’s broader plan to increase preparedness along its sensitive borders with China.

The venue of the upcoming exercise in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh, holds importance as India ramps up surveillance and mobility near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Beijing claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh , which it calls “Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet”, as an “inherent part of China’s territory”. The country’s maps depict Arunachal Pradesh as part of China.

New Delhi has rejected China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining that it is an “integral and inalienable part of India”.

The military exercise comes amid a growing China threat in India’s eastern sector. According to an NDTV report, China has finished building 36 hardened aircraft shelters, new administrative blocks, and a new apron at its Lhunze airbase in Tibet, located about 40 kilometres north of the McMahon line — the de facto boundary between India and China that divides Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet.

“Construction of 36 hardened aircraft shelters at Lhunze clearly indicates that during the next incident, their [China’s] tactical fighters and attack helicopters operating in support of their army would be based in Lhunze,” Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (retired), the former Indian Air Force chief, told the news channel.

The development comes even as tensions have eased between India and China following the 2020 border standoff.

Trishul exercise on the Western front

The Indian armed forces are carrying out the Trishul exercise on the Western front, along the borders of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

“The exercise aims to achieve validation and synchronisation of operational procedures across the three Services, enabling joint effect-based operations in multi-domain environment. Key objectives include enhancing interoperability of platforms and infrastructure, strengthening the integration of networks across Services, and advancing jointness in operations across multiple domains,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement last week.

The exercise involves live-fire drills, electronic warfare systems, and integrated battlefield communications to fine-tune rapid-response mechanisms.

“Our main objective is to enhance the synergy between all the maritime forces as well as inter-services. This is a very large, complex, and multi-domain integrated operation that is being conducted at the largest scale, including aspects of cyber and space," Vice Admiral AN Pramod, Director General Naval Operations (DGNO), told News18.

Poorvi Prachand Prahar and Trishul are crucial military exercises being conducted by the Indian armed forces following Operation Sindoor. In May, India targeted nine terror camps operating in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which terrorists killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.

With inputs from agencies