After two weeks of intense interactions between the US and India at Fort Wainwright and the Yukon Training Area in Alaska, the 21st edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025 came to an end on September 14.
The exercise, which focused on joint command and field training in difficult sub-arctic conditions, featured about 450 Indian Army soldiers from a battalion of the Madras Regiment and US forces from the 11th Airborne Division.
Indian and American officers worked together on command and control, coordination, and operational planning at the brigade and battalion levels during the exercise’s command post drills. In order to help troops adjust and coordinate under realistic combat conditions, field exercises included maneuvers, specialist sniper and reconnaissance training, counter IED operations, obstacle laying, and demolitions.
With artillery and mortar units from both armies participating in joint shooting drills that put accuracy, flexibility, and communication to the test in challenging terrain, live-fire activities were crucial. In addition, the exercise included unified command of infantry, aircraft, electronic warfare, and counter-drone systems during combined tactical operations that were validated in inclement weather.
Helicopter operations, the use of unmanned aerial systems and surveillance resources, rockcraft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, and combat medical assistance were among the other actions. Working groups on crucial topics like UAS and counter-UAS, information warfare, communications, and logistics were led by subject-matter experts.
Yudh Abhyas 2025 improved tactical planning, interoperability, and combined operational readiness, further strengthening the US-India comprehensive global strategic alliance. In spite of economic snags like US tariffs on Indian commodities, it also sought to deepen the long-standing defense cooperation and increase readiness for UN peacekeeping deployments and multi-domain war problems.
This edition accelerated coordination, strengthened soldier-level familiarity with one another’s tools and protocols, and enhanced ability to work together to address real-world threats. In strategically important contexts like the sub-arctic and high-altitude regions, it is a defining feature of the steadily developing India-US military cooperation, strengthening deterrence, operational synergy, and defense diplomacy.
