The 16th India-Nepal Joint Military Exercise ‘SURYA KIRAN’ commenced on 16 Dec 2022 at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi. The exercise commenced with the unfurling the National Flags and both armies marching harmoniously on the Indian and Nepal military tunes. During the two weeks arduous exercise, an Infantry Battalion from the Indian Army and the Nepali Army will be training together to enhance inter-operability and share experience on Counter Insurgency and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. A Gorkha battalion from the elite Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army is participating in the exercise.
2. During the exercise, both armies will familiarise themselves with each other’s weapons, equipment, tactics, and procedures while operating in Counter Insurgency, especially in mountainous terrain. To further enhance the scope and scale of the exercise, the contingents will be exposed to scenarios dealing with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, High Altitude Warfare, and Jungle Warfare operations. The Joint Military Training will culminate on 29 Dec 2022 with a grueling 48 hours validation exercise to validate the performance of both armies in Counter Insurgency environment.
3. Ex Surya Kiran will go a long way in improving bilateral relations and cooperation between both armies and further strengthening the unique, traditional and time-tested friendship between India and Nepal. Suryakiran’s series of exercises also stands testimony to strong Indo-Nepal relations, which are vast and varied and unlikely to be found anywhere in the world.
