Army, Navy, Air Force conduct joint exercise in Arunachal Pradesh

 The Army, Navy and Air Force held a joint exercise in Arunachal Pradesh's Shi-Yomi district, a defence spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The four-day exercise, 'Poorvi Prahar', validated the effectiveness of joint structures in intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, rapid mobilisation, deployment and operational logistics, he said.

The forces exhibited precision strike capabilities utilising high-tech equipment to guarantee mission success, besides showcasing the strength of integration amongst the services and the evolved civil-military fusion essential for ensuring victory in operations, defence spokesperson Lt Col Athul Sreedharan said.

Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen RC Tiwari and Air Marshal IS Walia of Eastern Air Command participated in the exercise, held in Mechuka from November 14 to 17, he said.

Appreciating the clockwork precision exhibited by the participating troops, Lt Gen Tiwari emphasised the importance of joint structures and mechanisms to enhance synergy among the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Integrated joint operations were conducted across multiple domains for the first time on such a large scale in the Eastern Theatre, the spokesperson said.

The exercise was a full-fledged display of the might of the forces, featuring advanced weapons systems such as the M-777 Howitzer, the Navy's maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft P-8I, swarm drones, first-person view (FPV) drones, and loitering munitions, he said.

Additionally, helicopters like the Chinook and Prachand were employed to enhance operational effectiveness.

"The successful execution of the joint exercise not only reinforces the operational readiness of the forces but also assures the nation that we are prepared to address any security challenge that may arise in the future," the spokesperson said.