U.S., Indian armies close Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026

AULI, India — U.S. and Indian Army forces closed Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2026 during a ceremony Sept. 27, marking the end of three weeks of bilateral training across Auli and Mahajan Field Firing Range.

The 22nd iteration of the annual U.S. Army Pacific-sponsored exercise brought together soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division's 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, elements of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, and the Indian Army for a Command Post Exercise, a Field Training Exercise, Expert Academic Discussions and combined live-fire training that spanned two locations, Auli and Mahajan Field Firing Range.

At Auli, U.S. and Indian Army soldiers trained together on jungle warfare and rappelling, counterterrorism and building-clearing operations, long-range sniper marksmanship, and combined air assault operations that integrated U.S. and Indian Army platoons into the same maneuver formations aboard Indian Army helicopters. Soldiers also exchanged weapons systems and drone platforms, flying U.S. and Indian Army drones side by side and testing each other's small arms.

At Mahajan Field Firing Range, U.S. and Indian Army units conducted precision fires training, including HIMARS, Stinger and M-LIDS live-fire events. Soldiers from both armies also faced off in a mixed U.S.-Indian tug-of-war tournament during a morale event partway through the exercise.

Col. Ben Jackman, commander of 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, said the exercise strengthened the trust and interoperability both armies will carry into future training.

"What we built here over the last three weeks doesn't end when we get on the plane," Jackman said. "Our soldiers know each other's equipment, they know each other's tactics, and they trust each other. That's what makes us ready to fight together if we're ever called to do it."

Jackman said the range of training conducted across Auli and Mahajan Field Firing Range reflected the depth of the partnership between the two armies.

"From rappelling off a cliff face to flying together in the same aircraft, our soldiers and the Indian Army trained side by side at every level in this exercise," Jackman said. "That kind of trust doesn't come from a single event. It comes from three weeks of doing hard things together, and it's going to carry forward into everything we do with this partner force."

Yudh Abhyas 2026 is scheduled to conclude its final activities following the closing ceremony, bringing this year's iteration of the exercise to a close.

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