Special forces from India and the US have begun a joint military exercise called "Vajra Prahar" in Bakloh of Himachal Pradesh, bordering the state of Ladakh, to enhance the interoperability between the two sides, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
"During the course of next 21 days, teams of both armies would jointly train, plan and execute a series of special operations, counter terrorist operations, air borne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain," the Indian Defense Ministry said.
Later this year, in October, the two militaries will hold another joint drill in Auli, less than 50 kilometers from the disputed border of India and China.
These are not the first joint drills near the Line of Actual Control, a loosely demarcated border between India and China. However, Indian military chiefs have clarified on several occasions that New Delhi does not expect support from the US in case of a potential war with China.
In 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed in a hand-to-hand clash in Ladakh region, the Indian Air Force chief said that India doesn't plan its efforts with support from someone else.
"We have to fight our own wars. No one will fight our wars for us. We have to do it ourselves," then Air Force chief R.K.S. Bhadauria responded when asked by the media if a US naval deployment in the Indian Ocean was linked with the border tensions.
Washington has been expecting to sell more platforms, including the Predator drone, to the Indian Armed Forces after signing four foundational agreements with India, but the Narendra Modi government has prioritized domestically developed equipment to modernize its military. The $3 billion deal to acquire Predator drones was reportedly scrapped in February this year.
The Indian Army on Monday said that its support for the indigenous drone ecosystem is based on the principle that "good available indigenously" is better than the "best available globally."