The armies of India and Oman are scheduled to conduct their second bilateral exercise, Al Nagah-II 2017, in March with a focus on counter-terrorism.
India has, of late, been deepening its defence cooperation with the region. The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, is on a tour of Oman and the UAE to “explore new avenues for naval cooperation”.
Hill ranges
The Army said in a statement that the exercise would be held in the Dhauladhar Ranges at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh from March 6 to 19.
Sixty troops from the two sides will participate.
“The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army-to-Army relations and enhance interoperability while exchanging skills and experiences between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman,” the statement said.
Various modules
An added aim, the statement said, is to enhance knowledge of each other’s military procedures qualitatively, thus increasing the scope for “interoperability and better responsiveness to a common threat”.
The 14-day exercise will be conducted in modules.
The Army said the vast experience and expertise gained by the Indian troops through counter-insurgency operations held “special importance to the Oman Army”.
In preparation for the exercise, the Indian team has undergone extensive training in rock climbing and slithering and counter-terrorism or low-intensity conflict operations, in addition to tactical drills of close cordon and house intervention drills.
India and Oman already have extensive cooperation in the maritime domain.
The navies of the two countries have been holding the bilateral maritime exercises called ‘Naseem Al Bahr’ since 1993.
In addition, the Indian Navy has been cooperating with its UAE and Oman counterparts in training, operational interactions and exchange of “white shipping information” with the help of a joint cooperation committee.
