EXERCISE AJEYA WARRIOR 2023

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Context

• India and the United Kingdom will soon begin the seventh edition of the bilateral training exercise Ajeya Warrior 2023.

About

• The Ajeya Warrior Exercise is a combined military drill, designed to provide company-level joint training focused on counter-terrorism operations in urban and semi-urban settings.
• The 6th edition of the India-UK Joint Company Level Military Training Ajeya Warrior exercise took place in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in 2021.
• In 2013, the first military training took place.

Objective

• The exercise is part of an initiative to develop interoperability and share expertise with friendly foreign nations.
• It aims to provide pieces of training to the soldiers of both nations in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations and has proved to be an excellent strategy for strengthening the ties between them.

Recent developments in India UK defence relations

• India and the UK are set to enhance defence industrial cooperation and work together in co-development and co-production of military platforms.
• Both countries in 2022 had the inaugural meeting of the newly formed Joint Working Group in an effort to further defence cooperation.
  • This has been set up to strengthen security and defence partnership through industrial cooperation.
• UK has issued its first Open General Export License in the Indo-Pacific region to India. This will help in shortening delivery times for defence procurement.
• In 2022, British High Commissioner to India has stated that a stronger UK-India defence relationship is an essential element of the governments of both sides’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• In critical defence technologies the UK is considered to be a world leader especially in jet engines development and electric propulsion technology and the UK has expressed its readiness to share this expertise with India supported by respective industries.
  • In 2022 the UK has offered advanced core technologies to India – capable of creating an indigenous, ITAR-free jet engine. These will be manufactured, owned and exported by India.

• Both countries have established an Electric Propulsion Capability Partnership – and with the JWG in place this will help to set up a strong partnership between the navies of India and the UK for development of Electric Propulsion capability here in India.
• The roadmap has also committed to partner on India’s indigenous combat air programmes – the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-MkII and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Other bilateral exercises

Exercise Indradhanush: a joint air force exercise that aims to improve mutual operational understanding between the two air forces through close interaction. The exercise began in the year 2006.

Exercise Konkan: It is a naval exercise held by India and the United Kingdom. It began in 2004.

PRACTICE QUESTION Q) India and the UK are set to enhance defence industrial cooperation and work together in co-development and co-production of military platforms. Discuss in the context of recent developments in India-UK defence relations. (150 words)

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