The first battalion of United States Military forces, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) stationed out of Okinawa, Japan and are currently in the Hyderabad area have conducted a joint-exercise with the Indian National Security Guard (NSG) on Tuesday.
The Joint-exercise, which will be held for the next three weeks, will help build interoperability and comradeship between the two forces and is designed to enhance the capabilities of both Indian and U.S. armed forces. The training focuses on mutual defense operations, so both nations can more effectively employ forces and assist in the event of crises that may endanger public health and safety.
The exercise will be overseen from the US Embassy in New Delhi and US Special Operations Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii, a statement here said on Wednesday.
“The US-India security partnership is strong, and growing stronger,” said US Consul General Katherine Hadda. “This Special Forces exercise in Hyderabad further advances our two countries’ operational coordination, and it will clearly benefit both our nations.”
This exercise is an example of the breadth and depth of the US-India security partnership. Planning for future training in furtherance of the US-India military partnership is ongoing. These training events are part of US Indo-Pacific Command’s Theater Security Cooperation Program, conducted by the US military with a select group of nations in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance coordination and capabilities.
The U.S. military works alongside India to increase interoperability, build partner capacity, prevent conflict, and promote regional strength and peace throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Training like the Hyderabad exercise is critical to U.S. Special Operations Forces, as soldiers learn how to effectively work with Indian partners in new environments, experience that will be valuable should a crisis occur. The overall aim of the program is to enhance professionalism and the ability to operate together during times of crisis.
The United States has recognized India as a Major Defense Partner, and military collaboration between the two countries is a result of high-level trust and also consistent efforts to broaden the ways in which the United States and India can work together. Hyderabad has become a hub of US-Indian defense manufacturing including joint-venture facilities, technology centers, and skills-development capacity, the statement added.
