WHY IN NEWS ?

  • The Indian Army contingent has departed for the 7th edition of Exercise DUSTLIK, a joint military exercise between India and Uzbekistan.
  • The exercise is being conducted:
    • From 12 to 25 April 2026
    • At Gurumsaray Field Training Area
  • The previous edition was held in India at Aundh (Pune) in April 2025.

ABOUT EXERCISE DUSTLIK

  • Exercise DUSTLIK is a bilateral joint military exercise conducted annually between India and Uzbekistan.
  • It is held:
    • Alternately in India and Uzbekistan
  • The exercise focuses on:
    • Enhancing defence cooperation
    • Improving joint operational capability

PARTICIPATING FORCES

  • The Indian contingent consists of 60 personnel:
    • 45 personnel from Indian Army, mainly from a battalion of the MAHAR Regiment
    • 15 personnel from Indian Air Force
  • The Uzbekistan contingent also includes:
    • Around 60 personnel from their Army and Air Force

AIM OF THE EXERCISE

  • The main aim is to:
    • Strengthen military cooperation between the two countries
  • It also seeks to:
    • Enhance combined capability to conduct joint operations
    • Improve coordination in semi-mountainous terrain conditions

KEY TRAINING FOCUS

  • The exercise emphasises:
    • High level of physical fitness
    • Joint planning of operations
    • Execution of joint tactical drills
  • It also includes:
    • Training in specialised arms and operational skills

OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

  • The participating troops will practice:
    • Land navigation techniques
    • Strike missions on enemy bases
    • Seizure of enemy-held areas
  • The exercise will conclude with:
    • A 48-hour validation exercise
Validation Exercise Focus
  • Testing:
    • Preparedness for joint special operations
  • Objective:
    • Neutralisation of unlawful armed groups

INTEROPERABILITY & COORDINATION

  • A key goal is to establish:
    • A unified operational algorithm
  • This involves:
    • Coordination between command-and-control structures
  • It improves:
    • Interoperability between armed forces
    • Joint decision-making capability

MUTUAL LEARNING & EXCHANGE

  • Indian forces will:
    • Learn operational procedures of Uzbekistan Armed Forces
  • Uzbekistan forces will:
    • Gain insights from India’s operational experience
  • Both sides will share:
    • Best practices in Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)