AFINDEX Exercise held in Pune
Pune: The Armies of India and African nations have concluded their 2nd edition of joint military exercise “The Africa-India Field Training Exercise (AFINDEX-2023)” on Wednesday at Foreign Training Node in Pune.
The exercise AFINDEX which began on March 16 saw participation of 25 African nations with 124 participants.
From Indian Army side, the troops from the SIKH, MARATHA and MAHAR Regiments participated in the multinational exercise.
Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande witnessed the validation phase of the exercise. The African Chiefs and representatives also witnessed the exercise.
The aim of the exercise was to build positive military relations, imbibe each other’s best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking execution of Humanitarian Mine Action and Peace Keeping Operations under the UN mandate.
This joint exercise will enable the armies to learn and adopt methodologies and tactics while conducting such operations.
Further, the exercise will assist the forces in correct interpretation of Rules of Engagements while undertaking Peace Keeping Operations.
The bonhomie, espirit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in further strengthening the bonds between the armies by enabling understanding of each other’s organisation and methodology of conducting various operations. This exercise is a harbinger for greater cooperation between Indian & African armies in the future.
On the sidelines of the exercise an ‘Equipment Display’ was organized in which 75 indigenous products from 32 industries manufactured under ‘Make in India’ were showcased. African Army Chiefs, representatives of Chiefs and participants of the African nations also witnessed the event.
