The United Arab Emirates and India have commenced a joint military exercise, named ‘Desert Cyclone-I’, in Mahajan, Rajasthan’s northern state. The drills are scheduled to conclude on January 15.
The exercise involves the participation of 45 soldiers each from the UAE’s Zayed First Brigade and the Indian army’s Mechanised Infantry Regiment, with the primary objective of enhancing cooperation and interoperability during peacekeeping operations, as stated by the Indian Ministry of Defence.
Exercise #DesertCyclone_2024
The #IndianArmy and #UAE Land Forces troops are sharing best practices and honing their battle craft & shooting skills during the Joint Military Exercise #DesertCyclone-I in #Rajasthan. The exercise is enhancing the interoperability & synergy between… pic.twitter.com/Y6VdUIajy9
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) January 5, 2024
Notably, military exercises between the UAE and India have been regular since the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017. While previous exercises focused on their navies and air forces, ‘Desert Cyclone-I’ marks the first bilateral army-to-army exercise, underlining the growing and diversified strategic partnership between the two nations, as highlighted by India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Sunjay Sudhir.