Nomadic Elephant 2023: Indian Army to conduct joint military exercise with Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar

43 members of the Indian Army’s contingent headed to Mongolia on Sunday to take part in the ‘Nomadic Elephant 2023’ joint military exercise between India and Mongolia, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence. The exercise between the two countries will now be in its fifteenth year. The training will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from July 17 to July 31. According to the press release, the joint drills, known as “Nomadic Elephant,” are an annual training event between India and Mongolia that alternately takes place in each nation. The most recent iteration of the joint exercises took place in October 2019 at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh. Participants will include soldiers from the Indian Army’s Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment and Unit 084 of the Mongolian Armed Forces.

The release from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated that the exercise will primarily focus on counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate. It also stated that the exercise aims to develop inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie, and friendship between the two armies. This exercise’s scope includes a Field Training Exercise (FTX) at the Platoon level. The exercise would include a variety of training exercises meant to improve the skills and capacities of the Indian and Mongolian military. These exercises include of rock climbing, room intervention, reflex shooting, endurance training, and small team tactics. According to the MoD announcement, soldiers from both sides will benefit from one another’s operational expertise. A shared commitment to regional security exists between India and Mongolia. The exercise “Nomadic Elephant 2023” will mark yet another important turning point in the defence cooperation between the Mongolian Army and the Indian Army, the announcement said. This will strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. (With agency inputs)