India-Oman military drill in Chamba from today
DHARAMSHALA: A contingent of Royal Army of Oman arrived on Sunday at Bakloh in Chamba district for a joint military exercises, which is starting on Monday.
The armies of India and Oman will be conducting joint exercise ‘Al Nagah-11 2017’, which is the second such exercise between the two countries, who have a history of extensive cooperation in the defence arena, said defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta.
The first joint exercise between the two countries was held in Oman in January 2015.
The contingent of Royal Army of Oman was received at Adampur Air Force Station by the officers of Indian Army from where they travelled to Bakloh.
Initial orientation and security briefing was also carried out, which included the training aspects and area familiarisation.
The aim of the exercise, to be conducted between March 6 to 19 in Dhauladhar range, is to build and promote bilateral army-to-army relations and enhance interoperability while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.
The participating troops for this exercise have been drawn from one Infantry Battalion each from the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman.
Conduct of the joint exercise will set the stage for greater defence cooperation between the two nations, he added.
“Approximately 60 troops from both the countries will participate in the exercise, which will help in enhancing knowledge of each other’s military procedures and increasing the scope for interoperability and better responsiveness to a common threat,” Lt Col Mehta added.
The spokesperson said the 14-day exercise with the Royal Army of Oman is scheduled to be conducted in multiple modules.