Shillong, Sep 14: The closing ceremony of the joint military exercise between Indian and Royal Thai Army, ‘Exercise MAITREE-XIV’ was held at JTN, Umroi today.
The aim of the exercise was to achieve interoperability and to acquaint each other with operational procedures and combat drills.
The exercise was conducted under the United Nations (UN) mandate. Both the contingents jointly participated in all the tactical drills as well as operational discussions. The exercise culminated with a 48 hour validation exercise which included creation of Temporary Operating Base (TOB), establishing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) grid, isolation of village, Heliborne Operations, conduct of raid and hostage rescue. The exercise also included display and active use of new generation equipment by both armies.
The closing ceremony was organised as a solemn occasion to felicitate outstanding soldiers and to showcase each other’s cultural and martial heritage. A series of programmes displaying the rich culture and heritage of both the countries were also organized. Both the armies shared valuable combat experiences and best practices.
Besides training, both the contingents also participated in a number of extracurricular activities including friendly Volleyball, Basketball and Tug of War matches and a cultural event on the final day to increase the bonhomie between troops. The joint training was undoubtedly an astounding success, an Indian Army press release stated today. It was another significant milestone achieved in ensuring cordial relations between the two countries. Besides promoting understanding and interoperability between the two armies, it further helped in cementing ties between both the nations.
