16th India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT Begins in Meghalaya

The Indian contingent, consisting of 45 personnel, is represented by a battalion of SIKKIM SCOUTS along with personnel from other arms and services.

The 16th edition of the India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT commenced today at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya. The exercise is scheduled to run from July 3 to July 16, 2024.

The Indian contingent, consisting of 45 personnel, is represented by a battalion of SIKKIM SCOUTS along with personnel from other arms and services. The Mongolian contingent includes personnel from the 150 Quick Reaction Force Battalion of the Mongolian Army. NOMADIC ELEPHANT is an annual training event conducted alternately in India and Mongolia, with the previous edition held in Mongolia in July 2023.

The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency Mr. Dambajavyn Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to India, and Major General Prasanna Joshi, General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area of the Indian Army.

The aim of the exercise is to enhance the joint military capability of both sides to undertake counter-insurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. The focus will be on operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain.

Tactical drills during the exercise include response to a terrorist action, establishment of a joint command post, establishment of an intelligence and surveillance centre, securing a helipad or landing site, small team insertion and extraction, special heliborne operations, cordon and search operations, and the employment of drones and counter-drone systems, among others.

Major General Gyanbyamba Sunrev, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mongolia, is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony on July 16, 2024, along with Lieutenant General Zubin A. Minwalla, General Officer Commanding 33 Corps of the Indian Army.

Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT will enable both sides to share best practices in tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting joint operations. The exercise will also facilitate the development of interoperability, camaraderie, and mutual understanding between the two armies, thereby enhancing defense cooperation and further augmenting bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.