Yudh Abhyas 22 Opens in the Himalayas

Photo By Benjamin Wilson | Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment form up for the opening ceremony of exercise Yudh Abhyas 22, an annual bilateral exercise held between the US and India. This year, the 9th Assam Regiment of the Indian Army is hosting 1-40th in the Himalayas for extreme high altitude training. Yudh Abhyas 22 is a bilateral training exercise aimed at improving the combined interoperability of the Indian army and 11th Airborne Division to increase partner capacity for conventional, complex and future contingencies throughout the Indo-Pacific region.  

AULI, INDIA

11.19.2022

Story by Benjamin Wilson 

11th Airborne Division

AULI, INDIA – Yudh Abhyas 22 kicked off its 20th year, held for the first time in the Himalayan mountains, with participants from both the 9th Assam Regiment, Indian Army, and Denali Squadron - 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, under the command of 2nd Brigade, 11th Airborne Division of the US Army, standing in formation at the opening ceremony. Both Colonel Jody Shouse, Commander of 2nd Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, and Brigadier Pankaj Verma, Commander of the 9th Assam Regiment, presented remarks.

Held at 9200’ in clear view of Nanda Devi, the second-highest peak of the tallest mountain range in the world, the bilateral ceremony involved approximately 350 U.S. Army and 350 Indian Army soldiers. As part of a humanitarian aid scenario, both contingents will exchange tactics, techniques and procedures on operating in a high-altitude environment, building both forces’ expertise as Yudh Abhyas proceeds toward the validation phase and culmination.

“The Denali Paratroopers, joining the 9th Battalion, are aptly named for their focus on reconnaissance and mountaineering across the Arctic and Alaska’s formidable terrain – although the Himalayas will certainly be a new test, ” said Shouse. Denali Squadron and the 9th Assam Brigade are both familiar with operations in extreme high altitude environments, with the CAV squadron sending mountaineers on the annual expedition to summit Denali, North America’s highest peak – although a full battalion-scale exercise at 9200’ presents many new opportunities for knowledge exchange. “The next two weeks will bring tough, realistic training. We will focus on a joint Command Post Exercise while the CAV and the 9th Battalion hone their advanced combat skills through interoperability training and field training exercises,” Shouse continued.

“Exercise Yudh Abhyas 22 is not an event; instead, it is a graduated learning process,” said Verma. “As we progress with the joint training, the graduated training curriculum will expose all of us to that.”

Said Shouse, “In closing, thank you Brigadier Verma and the Indian Army for hosting the Spartan Brigade, the Denali Squadron and all of its enablers. We look forward to continuing the important partnership and reinforcing our commitment to one another over the coming days. Assam Vikram, Sparta Lives, By Force and Valor.”

• Date Taken: 11.19.2022
• Date Posted: 11.26.2022 00:51
• Story ID: 433990
• Location: AULI, IN