India–Indonesia Begin Joint Special Forces Drill in Himachal

05 Dec 2025 CW Team

The tenth edition of the India–Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI has recently commenced at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. Scheduled from 3 to 12 December 2025, the exercise brings together elite Special Forces personnel from both nations for an intensive training engagement.

India is represented by troops from the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), while Indonesia has deployed members of its Special Forces contingent. The joint exercise is designed to enhance mutual understanding, operational cooperation and interoperability between the two forces.

Over the course of the training, participants will undertake a wide spectrum of activities covering tactics, techniques and procedures relevant to counter-terrorism operations. The curriculum includes unarmed combat, combat shooting, sniping, heliborne insertion and extraction, and mission planning for drone, counter-UAS and loiter-munition strikes in semi-mountainous terrain. The exercise also facilitates the exchange of knowledge on weapons, equipment and applied operational practices.

A strong emphasis has been placed on physical conditioning, tactical drills and high-intensity combat simulations. The training will culminate in a validation exercise replicating real-world scenarios to assess the preparedness, coordination and endurance of both contingents.

GARUDA SHAKTI continues to serve as an important platform for advancing defence cooperation and strengthening the longstanding bilateral relationship between India and Indonesia.

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