According to India’s Ministry of Defence, the exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills
Over the next fortnight, conventional war drills will be on display along with a fair dose of cricket on the side as army contingents from India and Australia engage in Exercise AUSTRAHIND 2024, the latest example of the growing defence cooperation between the two countries.

The opening ceremony on (Friday) November 8, 2024 saw the two contingents gather at the Foreign Training Node in Pune, Maharashtra, marking the beginning of the third edition of the annual event that runs till November 21, 2024. Hosted alternately by India and Australia, Exercise AUSTRAHIND aims to promote military cooperation between India and Australia through enhancement of interoperability in conduct of joint sub conventional operations in semi-urban environment in semi-desert terrain under Chapter VII of the UN mandate. 

The first exercise in the series of AUSTRAHIND with participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies was hosted by India in Rajasthan in 2022. The second edition of the exercise was conducted in Perth, Australia in December 2023.

According to India’s Ministry of Defence, the exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills. “Exercise AUSTRAHIND will enable the two sides to share their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting tactical operations. The exercise will also facilitate developing bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of both sides,” the ministry stated. 

Conventional Warfighting Side by Side With Cricket

 The official schedule says the exercise will be conducted in two phases – combat conditioning and tactical training phase and validation phase. Drills and aspects to be rehearsed during the exercise will include response to a terrorist action of capturing a defined territory; establishment of a Joint Operations Centre; conduct of joint counter terrorism operations like Raid and Search and Destroy Missions; securing of a helipad; employment of drones and counter drone measures and Special Heli Borne Operations, among others.

The Indian contingent comprising 140 personnel will be represented mainly by a battalion of the Dogra Regiment and 14 personnel from the Indian Air Force. The Australian Army contingent comprising 120 personnel will be represented by the 13th Light Horse Regiment of the 10th Brigade of 2nd Division.

Australia’s Ministry of Defence set the tone for the exercise, saying, “Conventional warfighting and cricket will underscore the deepening defence cooperation between Australia and India”. 

Exercise AUSTRAHIND allows Australia and India to share their skills and tactics in an increasingly complex regional context, Commander of 13th Brigade, Brigadier Amanda Williamson, who is leading the country’s contingent was quoted as saying by the ministry . “Australia and India are top-tier security partners, and we’re strengthening our defence cooperation in the Indian Ocean region,” Brigadier Williamson said. 
“Coming together allows us to enhance the scope and complexity of our joint military exercises and develop new ways to address our shared security challenges,” she added.

Close Collaboration in Defence & Security

 Australia and India upgraded bilateral relationship from a ‘Strategic Partnership’ which was in place since 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020. 

The two nations are also part of the Quad and are among the four nations that participate in the multilateral maritime Exercise Malabar, the other two participants being naval forces from the US and Japan. Additionally, the two navies also participate in the bilateral exercise AUSINDEX. Indian Navy ships have also been participating in Kakadu, the biennial multilateral exercise of the Australian Navy.

When it comes to the air force, the Indian Air Force participates in multilateral Exercise Pitch Black which is hosted by Australia; the last edition was held from July 12 to August 2, 2024.