Military Exercises of India: Names and Countries

The correct answer is A, India and the United Kingdom. Ajeya Warrior is the bilateral army exercise between India and the United Kingdom, held alternately in the two countries, in which the two armies train together in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a built-up and semi-urban setting. India holds three exercises with the United Kingdom, one for each service: Ajeya Warrior with the army, Konkan with the navy and Indradhanush with the air force. Option B is wrong because India has no army exercise of this name with Israel; India takes part in the multinational air exercise Blue Flag hosted by Israel. Option C is wrong because the army exercise with France is Shakti, while Varuna is naval and Garuda is with the air force. Option D is wrong because the army exercises with the United States are Yudh Abhyas and the special forces exercise Vajra Prahar.

The correct answer is B, France. Varuna is the bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the French Navy, held in the Arabian Sea, the Mediterranean or the Atlantic, with surface ships, submarines and maritime patrol aircraft taking part. The complete French set is worth memorising as one unit: Varuna with the navy, Shakti with the army and Garuda with the air force, with Desert Knight as a further air exercise. Option A is wrong because the exercise with Russia is Indra, which has been conducted as a tri-service exercise, along with Aviaindra for the air forces. Option C is wrong because the naval exercise with Japan is JIMEX, the army exercise being Dharma Guardian. Option D is wrong because the long-running naval exercise with Singapore is SIMBEX, and Bold Kurukshetra is the armoured exercise with Singapore.

The correct answer is C, Nepal. Surya Kiran is the battalion-level army exercise between India and Nepal, held alternately in the two countries, in which the Indian Army and the Nepali Army train in jungle warfare, counter-insurgency and disaster relief. It is the only named bilateral exercise India holds with Nepal, which makes it an easy mark in an examination. Option A is wrong because the exercises with Bangladesh are Sampriti for the armies and Bongosagar for the navies, with a coordinated patrol in the Bay of Bengal. Option B is wrong because the exercises with Sri Lanka are Mitra Shakti for the armies and SLINEX for the navies. Option D is wrong because India holds no named bilateral exercise with Bhutan; cooperation there runs through training assistance and the Indian Military Training Team.

The correct answer is C, the United States. Malabar started in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the United States Navy. Japan took part in some editions and became a permanent participant in 2015, and Australia joined in 2020, so Malabar is now held among the four Quad navies. Option A is wrong because Japan, although a permanent participant since 2015, was not a founding partner; the bilateral naval exercise with Japan is JIMEX. Option B is wrong because Australia was the last of the four to join, in 2020, and its bilateral naval exercise with India is AUSINDEX, which began in 2015. Option D is wrong because the naval exercise with the United Kingdom is Konkan, and the United Kingdom is not a Malabar participant.

The correct answer is A, China. Hand-in-Hand is the counter-terrorism army exercise between India and China, in which small contingents of the two armies train together in cordon and search operations and in joint tactical drills. It is the only named bilateral exercise between the two countries. Option B is wrong because the exercises with Myanmar are the India-Myanmar bilateral army exercise IMBEX and the coordinated naval patrol IMCOR. Option C is wrong because the army exercise with Vietnam is VINBAX, which has a United Nations peacekeeping and engineering theme. Option D is wrong because the exercise with Mongolia is Nomadic Elephant, a long-running army exercise focused on counter-insurgency under a United Nations mandate. Remembering the name in the partner's idiom or language helps; here the plain English name belongs to China.

The correct answer is B, Russia. Indra is the joint exercise between India and Russia; it began as separate army and naval exercises and has also been held as a tri-service exercise, while Aviaindra is the exercise between the two air forces. Option A is wrong, and is the trap in this question, because the exercises with Indonesia are Garuda Shakti for the special forces and Samudra Shakti for the navies, along with a coordinated patrol in the Andaman Sea; the similarity of the words Indra and Indonesia is deliberate. Option C is wrong because with Israel India has no named bilateral field exercise of this kind, taking part instead in the multinational Blue Flag air exercise. Option D is wrong because India holds no such named exercise with Iran, though Indian ships make port calls at Chabahar.

The correct answer is C, Maldives. Ekuverin means friends in Dhivehi, the language of the Maldives, and the exercise is held alternately in India and the Maldives between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force. The naval exercise with the Maldives is Ekatha, and Dosti is the coast guard exercise of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Option A is wrong because the army exercise with Seychelles is Lamitiye, which means friendship in Seychellois Creole. Option B is wrong because India has no exercise of this name with Mauritius, where cooperation is largely through the coast guard and hydrographic surveys. Option D is wrong because the exercises with Sri Lanka are Mitra Shakti for the armies and SLINEX for the navies. Reading the meaning of the name is the fastest route to the answer.

The correct answer is A, France. Garuda is the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force, held alternately at Indian and French bases, with fighter, transport and refuelling aircraft taking part. It completes the French trio of Varuna for the navy, Shakti for the army and Garuda for the air force. Option B is the standard trap, because Garuda Shakti is the special forces exercise with Indonesia and the Garuda is also an Indonesian national symbol; the plain name Garuda, however, belongs to the exercise with France. Option C is wrong because the air exercise with the United States is Cope India, and Indian pilots also fly in the United States hosted Red Flag. Option D is wrong because the air exercise with Oman is Eastern Bridge, Al Nagah being the army exercise with Oman.

The correct answer is B, Sri Lanka. Mitra Shakti is the army exercise between India and Sri Lanka, held alternately in the two countries, with training in counter-terrorism and in operations under a United Nations mandate. The naval exercise with Sri Lanka is SLINEX, and the two countries also take part with the Maldives in the coast guard exercise Dosti. Option A is wrong because the exercise with Nepal is Surya Kiran. Option C is wrong because the army exercise with Bangladesh is Sampriti, with Bongosagar for the navies. Option D is wrong because the army exercise with Malaysia is Harimau Shakti, harimau being the Malay word for tiger, with Samudra Laksamana for the navies. Several exercises carry the word Shakti, so the first word of the name is what decides the country.

The correct answer is A, Singapore. SIMBEX stands for Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise, the longest running naval exercise India holds with any country, begun in 1994 and conducted in the South China Sea, the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. India also holds Bold Kurukshetra with the Singapore Army and Agni Warrior for the artillery of the two armies. Option B is wrong because the naval exercise with Sri Lanka is SLINEX, a name that looks deliberately similar. Option C is wrong because with South Africa India takes part in IBSAMAR, the trilateral naval exercise that also includes Brazil. Option D is wrong because the naval exercise with Saudi Arabia is Al Mohed Al Hindi, with Sada Tanseeq as the army exercise. Expanding the abbreviation gives the answer at once.

The correct answer is B, Milan. Milan is the multinational naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy. It began in 1995 at Port Blair with a few navies of the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia and later moved to Visakhapatnam, growing into a large gathering with a harbour phase of seminars and a sea phase of exercises. Option A is wrong because RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific exercise, is hosted by the United States Navy off Hawaii and is the largest naval exercise in the world. Option C is wrong because Cobra Gold is the multinational exercise hosted in Thailand, which India has attended. Option D is wrong because Pitch Black is the multinational air exercise hosted by Australia, in which the Indian Air Force has flown. India also hosts the coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil and the naval war game TROPEX.