Amid a deteriorating India-US relationship and rising warmth between New Delhi and Beijing, an Indian Army contingent has reached Alaska to participate in the 21st edition of the India-US Joint Military Exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas 2025’.
The 2025 edition of the India-US Joint Military Exercise will focus on high-altitude warfare and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS operations.
The joint drills will also focus on a spectrum of tactical drills, including heliborne operations, employment of surveillance resources, mountain warfare, and the integrated use of Artillery, Aviation, and Electronic Warfare systems, among others.
The 21st edition of the India-USA Joint Military Exercise began on September 1 and will continue till the 14th of this month.
According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, the Indian contingent comprises personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment, who will be training alongside US soldiers from the 5th Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Bobcats” of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, part of the US 11th Airborne Division.
Furthermore, subject-matter experts from both armies will conduct working groups on critical domains such as UAS and Counter-UAS operations, information warfare, communications, and logistics.
The Ministry further noted that the exercise will culminate in jointly planned and executed tactical maneuvers, ranging from live-fire exercises to high-altitude warfare scenarios, with a focus on improving capabilities for United Nations peacekeeping operations and strengthening preparedness for multi-domain challenges.
The bilateral exercise comes within a week of the US submarine support ship USS Frank Cable visiting Chennai on a scheduled port visit — the Military Sealift Command’s second to the region in two years, underlining that despite the strain in bilateral relations over the tariff issues, the defense cooperation between the two countries remains robust.
According to a statement from the US Army, the two-week training program is designed to enhance interoperability, readiness, and cooperation between the two nations’ land forces, developing coordination between brigade and battalion staffs, integrating operational enablers, and refining air-to-ground integration doctrine.
It also supports the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s strategy to strengthen regional partnerships and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, the statement by the US Army added.
The exercise, scheduled from September 1 to 14, is being conducted at multiple locations, including Fort Wainwright, Yukon Training Area, and Donnelly Training Area in Alaska. The exercise is sponsored by the US Army Pacific Command.
“Together, we sharpen our skills for peacekeeping, humanitarian response, and combat operations because we know that the challenges of the future will demand cooperation across borders,” said Col. Christopher Brawley, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Arctic), 11th Airborne Division. “When our soldiers trained side by side, we demonstrated to the world that our partnership is strong, enduring, and prepared to meet any challenge.”
Why Alaska
Yudh Abhyas alternates annually between India and the United States. This year, the exercise is held in the United States, and next year’s iteration is scheduled to return to India.
For the United States, Alaska offers a strategically significant training ground due to its proximity to key Arctic and Indo-Pacific air and sea corridors.
Alaska is an extremely sensitive location for the US, which is consistently at risk of intrusion through air and sea by Russian and Chinese assets.
Russian and Chinese submarines and aircraft often enter the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) or nearby waters. The US military closely monitors these activities by Russia and China.
In the summer of 2023, Russian and Chinese naval forces conducted joint exercises in the Bering Strait, signaling a coordinated push into Arctic waters.
The momentum continued on July 10, 2024, when four Chinese warships were spotted near Alaska, inside America’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Later in the same month, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted two Chinese Xian H-6K bombers and two Russian Tu-95MS Bear bombers flying near Alaska. Both types of bombers are nuclear-capable. The bombers were intercepted by American F-16s and F-35s and Canadian CF-18 fighter jets.
Again, in April this year, the U.S. F-35 fighter jets intercepted a formation of six Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaskan ADIZ.
Furthermore, in August, six Russian warships, including nuclear-capable submarines, were spotted operating in waters near Alaska.
In the August ending, U.S. F-16 fighter jets intercepted Russian Il-20 spy planes near Alaska on multiple occasions, with at least four separate interceptions occurring within one week.
These repeated intrusions into the Alaska ADIZ underscore that the US military has to maintain constant vigilance to safeguard its borders near the Arctic.
Focus On High-Altitude Warfare
For Indian soldiers, Alaska provides a venue to train in high-altitude and cold-weather conditions with U.S. forces experienced in Arctic operations.
The experience gained in high-altitude mountain warfare will aid Indian soldiers in conducting military operations near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LOC) with China and Pakistan, respectively.
Notably, this is the third time in four years that the ‘Yudh Abhyas’ drills are being organized with a special focus on high-altitude and cold-weather warfare.
Earlier in 2022, the ‘Yudh Abhyas’ drills were organized in Uttarakhand’s Auli near the LAC with a special focus on high-altitude and extremely cold warfare. Those military drills happened against the backdrop of the continued India-China border standoff in the Laddakh sector.
Significantly, Auli is situated just 95 km from the LAC. The exercise, thus, indicated a joint endorsement against China’s aggression in Ladakh at the western sector of the LAC.
In fact, China has strongly protested the organization of joint Indo-US military drills near the LAC, saying that the military exercise near the LAC violates the spirit of Sino-India agreements.
“The joint military exercise between India and the US close to the LAC at the China-India border violates the spirit of the agreement between China and India in 1993 and 1996,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing.
Earlier in 2021, as well, the ‘Yudh Abhyas’ military drills were organized in Alaska at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.
Thus, it is clear that ever since the India-China border standoff at the LAC in Laddakh in June 2020, the Yudh-Abhyas military drills have maintained a focus on practicing warfare in high-altitude and extremely cold weather conditions.
Drone Trials In High-Altitude Areas
The ‘Yudh Abhyas’ 2025 will also focus on UAS and counter-UAS operations. The drill will help in training for operating drones in high-altitude and cold-weather conditions.
Meanwhile, in a separate but related development, the Indian defense ministry also conducted field trials of UAS by US defense firm Shield AI in high-altitude areas in mid-August.
The company demonstrated its Hivemind autonomy software to the Indian Ministry of Defense as part of a campaign to offer the V-BAT UAS to the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
The three-day field trials took place in Himachal Pradesh, where Shield AI flew its Nova 2 quadcopter with Hivemind, showcasing autonomous and AI-assisted operations in GPS- and communication-denied environments.
The platform will enable the Indian military to engage drones—called beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—in areas that block all communication frequencies, including GPS.
The field trials underscore India’s consistent focus on boosting capabilities in mountain warfare.
The ‘Yudh Abhyas’ Military Drills
Yudh Abhyas, which means “Preparing for War” in Hindi, began in 2004 as a counterinsurgency training exchange. Over the years, it has evolved to include brigade-level command post exercises and field training exercises focused on conventional, unconventional, and hybrid threats, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The usually fortnight-long military drills are organized alternately between the US and India.
The exercise also provides opportunities for cultural exchange, sporting events, and professional development workshops. US and Indian Soldiers will work together in planning, execution, and after-action review phases, building mutual understanding and trust at all levels.
Apart from Yudh Abhyas, the Indian and US Navies also participate together in the joint multilateral naval warfare exercise – the Malabar drills.
