India & China to conduct joint military exercise 'Hand-in-Hand'

NEW DELHI: Asia's two largest military powers India and China, will jointly conduct combined military training exercise Hand-in-Hand from October 12 to October 2015 at Kunming Military Academy, Yunnan, China. This will be the fifth exercise of the series, which started in 2007.

"The exercise will bring together troops of an Infantry sub-unit and a formation headquarter of Indian Army and similar participation from the Chinese Army for the joint training," a Ministry of Defence press release said.

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This exercise aims to strengthen and broaden interoperability and cooperation between both the Armies as well as complement a number of other exchanges between the two forces.

"Over the years, the two countries have decided to progressively increase the scope and content of the combined training. The twelve day exercise will lay emphasis on joint handling of insurgency at sub-unit level and related issues, while the aspect of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief will be discussed at formation headquarters level," said the release.

The exercise curriculum has been planned in a manner that the participants will initially be made to get familiar with each others organisational structure, weapons, equipment and tactical drills. Subsequently, under Joint Tactical Exercises, battle drill of both the armies will be rehearsed.

"Commanders and Staff Officers of both sides will work in close coordination to receive and collate intelligence and to issue suitable operational orders to the combined field training components, who in turn will execute these orders on ground," said the release.

A Consolidation and Validation Exercise will be witnessed by senior officers and observers of both Armies at the end of the Joint Training, in which troops of both nations will carry out sub-unit level counter insurgency operation training.