A major multinational military exercise involving defence personnel from 13 countries began in Meghalaya on Wednesday, providing India not only an opportunity to strengthen regional military cooperation and counter-terrorism coordination, but also a platform to showcase its growing indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Mahender Rawat said Exercise PRAGATI 2026, being held at Umroi Military Station, has brought together troops from 12 friendly countries — Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
The two-week exercise will include joint planning drills, tactical manoeuvres and coordinated operations.
"The two-week exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain. The training programme will include joint planning exercises, tactical-level drills and coordinated operations designed to improve adaptability, endurance and tactical proficiency of participating troops," Colonel Rawat said.
A major highlight of the exercise will be the participation of Indian defence and technology firms, which will showcase indigenous equipment, systems and innovations. The event is expected to serve as a strategic platform for India to showcase its expanding defence industrial base and self-reliance push to friendly foreign militaries, while also opening avenues for knowledge-sharing and deeper defence engagement.
"As part of the exercise, Indian technology and defence companies will showcase indigenous equipment and innovations under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and highlighting India's growing capabilities in defence production, innovation and self-reliance," Colonel Rawat was quoted as saying, according to news agency PTI.
The exercise seeks to strengthen defence ties, improve intelligence-sharing mechanisms in multinational operations, identify areas of common cooperation and foster camaraderie through professional and cultural exchanges. Officials said the programme is also aimed at developing common approaches to tackling shared regional security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
"Exercise PRAGATI 2026 is expected to further strengthen military-to-military cooperation, deepen professional bonds and contribute towards a shared approach to common security challenges among regional partners," Rawat added.