20,000 Indian soldiers engage in drill near Pakistan border in Rajasthan

New Delhi: Over 20,000 soldiers from the strike formations of the Indian Army have been engaging in a military drill near the border with Pakistan in Rajasthan.
A media reported quoted an army spokesperson as saying that the exercise Vijay Prahar employing more than 20,000 troops, cutting edge equipment and state of the art force multipliers is currently under way in the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges close to Suratgarh — some 300 km from the closest Pakistani border post.
The month-long drill, which is concluding on May 9, is to promote and enhance jointmanship and integration between the Indian Air Force and the Army.
“The exercise is aimed to orchestrate wide spectrum of threats which are planned to be tackled through high tempo joint air and land operation involving hundreds of aircraft, thousands of tanks and artillery pieces supported by real time intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and just in time logistic support,” the spokesperson said.
It will practice the troops in “penetrative manoeuvres across the obstacle ridden terrain under a nuclear umbrella.
“The formations are practicing and operationalising certain innovative concepts of operating in the network centric environment, integrated employment of modern day sensors with the weapon platforms, employment of attack helicopters in the air cavalry role and bold offensive of application of the Special Forces.”