The third Indo-UK joint army training exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ concluded today at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. The fortnight-long exercise, which was aimed at sharing best practices and experiences of the two armies, had started on December 1 and approximately 120 personnel from each side participated in it.
Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, during the closing ceremony, said that in the ever changing militancy environment, such joint endeavours were needed to find a solution to the global menace. Such exercises are small, but are concrete steps in the right direction, he said. Set in the backdrop of growing terrorist activities worldwide, the first and second editions of the exercise were held at Belgaum in Karnataka and Westdown Camp, Salisbury Plains Training Area, in the UK, in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
Both the contingents gained immensely. Representatives of the armies conveyed immense satisfaction over the content of the exercise and are hopeful of more such exchanges in the future, Defence Spokesperson Lt. Col. Manish Ojha said. He said that the exercise also contributed to the bigger goal of defence cooperation and deepening of military relations between the armies. The closing ceremony was attended by observers and senior military dignitaries from both the armies, including British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith KCMG and Major General Robert Harry Talbot Rice from the UK.
