Thaindian News

By Arun Kumar
Washington, Oct 7 (IANS) In what is billed as the largest deployment of Stryker combat vehicles outside of those sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, the US Army plans to deploy 17 Strykers this month to India for a major training exercise.

“It’s one of the most important training exercises that we’ve done with the Indian military to date,” Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon told reporters here Tuesday. Mixon commands all army forces in the US Pacific Command area.

About 200 troops from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, based at Hawaii, will train alongside the Indian Army in combat manoeuvres using the Strykers, Mixon said.

An Indian Army unit of about the same size will join the Stryker crews in Babina, about 275 miles southeast of New Delhi, for the two-week exercise starting Oct 12.

The two armies will share tactics for using the Strykers in combat, as well as its integrated computer network system, Mixon said.

The exercise will end with a live-fire demonstration of the Stryker.

“We’re very excited about it,” the general said. “We think it’s going to be a good experience for our soldiers, as well as a very important part of our relationship with India.”

This exercise, more than two years in the planning, comes as the Defence Department continues to reach out to India to increase its military collaboration, he said.

The top Pacific Command officer, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, last month travelled to India and said officials there have committed to increasing their military relationship with the US.

Mixon said this exercise will help to build on that relationship and open doors for expanding such training there.

“We view it as a broad effort in our engagement strategy with the Indians that we want to continue to expand. It provides a … method to get at more engagements,” he said.

Mixon said the Indian Army is anxious to train with the Strykers. Most military exercises in the country, he explained, have been limited to scenario-driven, commander-level exercises in which few troops are involved.

This exercise is unique in that it strictly focuses on combat training and does not include a humanitarian piece. “It’s the full gamut,” Mixon said. “It’s on the high end of fighting.”