The multinational military exercise PRAGATI 2026 commenced at Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya with participation from 12 friendly nations, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
PRAGATI — Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region — is being conducted in the spirit of equality, friendship and mutual respect, aimed at strengthening military cooperation and professional exchanges among participating nations.
The opening ceremony was attended by senior military officials and dignitaries. Addressing the participants, Major General Sunil Sheoran highlighted the importance of collective engagement in tackling emerging security challenges and encouraged troops to learn from each other’s experiences.
The two-week exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain, with training activities including joint planning, tactical drills and coordinated operations to improve interoperability, endurance and operational coordination.
The exercise will also feature a showcase of indigenous defence equipment and innovations by Indian companies under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, highlighting India’s growing capabilities in defence production and self-reliance.
The Army said the exercise is expected to deepen military-to-military ties, enhance regional cooperation and evolve common approaches to shared security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.
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