India, Japan bilateral Army exercise, Dharma Guardian, concluded at Belgaum on Thursday, while Australian Army Chief Lt. Gen. Richard Maxwell Burr, who is on a four-day visit to India, witnessed a firepower demonstration at the Pokhran firing range.
“Both contingents not only shared their expertise on contemporary subjects of counter-terrorism operations, but also utilised this opportunity to share their experiences on exploiting disruptive technologies like drone and anti-drone weapons,” the Army said in a statement on the exercise.
The exercise also provided a platform for professional and cultural learning as well as social interactions which in-turn broadened their horizon towards knowledge and cooperation aiming towards co-existence as one in the Indo-Pacific Region, the statement stated. The annual exercise Dharma Guardian between the Indian Army and the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force began on February 27.
Australia and Japan, both members of the Quad grouping, also participated in the multilateral naval exercise Milan hosted by the Indian Navy, which concluded in Visakhapatnam last week.
Homage at war memorial
On Thursday, Lt. Gen. Burr visited Longewala, Pokhran and Jodhpur in Rajasthan during which he paid homage at the Longewala war memorial in memory of the fallen heroes of the Indian Army in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the Army said.
He also visited the Pokhran field firing ranges where he witnessed a “demonstration of indigenised weapons platforms executing operational manoeuvres in a combined arms firing exercise involving armour, artillery, infantry and aviation assets.”
Lt. Gen. Burr arrived in India on Tuesday and on Wednesday called on the three Service Chiefs and other senior military officers. “Both Chiefs exchanged views on the current global situation and the situation in Indo-Pacific, in addition to discussing measures for enhancing defence cooperation between both the armies,” the Army said on the meeting with Army Chief General Manoj Naravane.
The visiting Chief also addressed the faculty and participants of the prestigious National Defence College. He is scheduled to visit the Indian Army formations and units deployed along the western Borders on Friday before concluding his trip.
