NEW DELHI: The Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army will conduct the 14th edition of the Joint Bilateral Military Exercise- MAITREE from September 1-14 at the Foreign Training Node, Umroi, according to the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI), Indian Army.
Sharing the details on Saturday, the ADG PI said that the exercise is designed to further sharpen the operational capabilities of both armies in undertaking joint company-level counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban terrain, under the United Nations mandate.
ADG PI highlighted that this reflects the shared commitment towards global peace and security.
In a video message shared by the ADG PI, it was mentioned that the exercise is taking place in India after 5 years.
As per the Ministry of Defence, the 13th edition of Exercise MAITREE took place at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak Province of Thailand.
The 13th edition had seen participation of the Indian Army contingent comprising 76 personnel is being represented mainly by a Battalion of the LADAKH SCOUTS along with personnel from other arms and services. The Royal Thailand Army contingent also comprised 76 personnel mainly from 1st Battalion, 14 Infantry Regiment of 4 Division.
India and Thailand enjoy warm and cordial ties.
The bilateral ties are multifaceted and cover a broad spectrum of areas, including trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that the 'Act West' policy of Thailand complements India's 'Act East' policy. Thailand is India's maritime neighbour.
The ongoing defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand comprises of defence dialogue, joint maritime patrolling by the navies of both countries, annual staff talks, subject matter expert exchange visits, training of officers at each other's institutions, trilateral, multilateral military exercises