The 7th Edition of India-France Joint Military Exercise SHAKTI has been initiated on the 13th of May 2024 and is to continue until the 26th of May 2024 at Umroi in a fully developed and modern Foreign Training Node in Meghalaya.

H.E. Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India and Major General Prasanna Sudhakar Joshi, General Officer Commanding 51 Sub Area graced the event by attending the Opening Ceremony. Exercise SHAKTI takes place after every two years, whereby, the last training edition was hosted in France in the November of 2021.

A Battalion of the RAJPUT Regiment consisting of 90 personnel are being represented from the Indian Continent besides personnel from other arms and services. Observers from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force are also to take part in the exercise. Whereas, from the French Contingent, a number of 90 personnel is to be represented mainly from the 13th Foreign Legion Half-Brigade (13th DBLE) personnel.

The objectives that Exercise SHAKTI seeks is to promote and improve the joint military capability of both sides to engage multi-domain operations in a Sub Conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. Further, directing its focus on operations in the semi-urban and mountainous terrain to accomplish high degree of physical fitness, rehearsing and refining drills for operations at tactical level and sharing of best practices.

During the practice of tactical drills, response to terrorist action of capturing a defined territory, establishment of an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, securing of a helipad/ landing site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon & Search Operations besides employment of drones and counter drone systems among others are all to be experienced and performed.

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The Joint Military Exercise is to provide both sides to share their best practices in terms of Tactics, Techniques and Procedures during joint operations. Its aim is also to enable interoperability, amiability and a spirit of good fellowship between the personnel armed forces of the two countries which would elevate the degree of defence cooperation, further advancing bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.