India-US Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 Begins at Auli and Mahajan

India and the United States began the 22nd edition of their joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas on 15 September 2026. The opening ceremony was held at the Auli Foreign Training Node in Uttarakhand. The drill is running at two places at the same time. The second location is the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.

Who addressed the contingents

Two officers spoke to the assembled troops. Major General Amaresh Gunjan is the General Officer Commanding of the 14 Infantry Division of the Indian Army. Colonel Benjamin Jackman commands the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 11th Airborne Division of the US Army. Each country has fielded 600 personnel for the drill.

What the two armies will practise

The declared aim is joint capability for employing Integrated Battle Groups. The terrain picked for this is mountainous and semi-mountainous. Operations led by infantry carry special weight in the training. Both sides also want stronger interoperability. They will exchange their best operational practices. Joint planning and joint execution are to be sharpened.

The technology in focus

Infusion of technology is a key focus area this year. Drones and autonomous systems will be flown for surveillance and reconnaissance work. Contemporary weapon systems will be demonstrated at the Mahajan ranges. Experts of both armies will trade views on emerging technologies. Developments in multi-domain warfare are on their agenda too.

Why an aspirant should note it

Questions on a bilateral exercise usually ask for the partner country, the edition number and the venue. All three are easy to fix here. The partner is the United States. The edition is the 22nd. The venues are Auli in Uttarakhand and Mahajan in Rajasthan. The drill also lets both armies share tactics, techniques and procedures for coordinated action over varied terrain.

The exercise at a glance