India, France hold joint military exercise

India and France began the first-ever joint Army exercise in India on Monday to share their expertise in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, said an official release issued by the Indian Army. "The two-week exercise is aimed at enhancing combat skills, promoting mutual understanding and inter-operability between the two Armies. Sixty troops from French '13 Mountain Battalion' and an equal number of soldiers from two Indian regiments are participating in the exercise which is being held in Ranikhet (in northern state of Uttarakhand)," said the release. During the exercise codenamed "Shakti 2011", the troops from the two countries will practice basic combat tactics related to various aspects of counter-terrorism operations in detail and exchange their combat techniques and skills, it added. The training syllabus also includes sharing of each other's experiences and lessons drawn from operations undertaken by the two great armies. The highlights of the training would be the final consolidation exercise in which troops of both Armies will jointly plan and execute a series of counter-terrorist operations. The joint operations will include techniques and employment of commandos in the thick forests. According to the release, the exercise is likely to enhance defence cooperation and military-to-military relations between the two nations and will be a harbinger to future cooperation in ensuring world peace and stability.