Egypt, India conduct their first-ever special forces exercise.
Both countries have been expanding their technical military and defense ties in the last couple of years, conducting a series of joint air and naval drills/exploring opportunities to co-produce military hardware.
The maiden Joint Exercise ‘CYCLONE – I’ between Special Forces of Indian Army and Egypt Army commenced in Rajasthan on 20 January, with focus on sharing professional skills and experiences on SpecialForces Operations.
The exercise aims to bolster defence co-operation between the two nations and focus on sharing professional skills and interoperability of Special Forces in desert terrain while undertaking counter terrorism, reconnaissance, raids and other special operations.
Exercise “Cyclone – I” is the first exercise of its kind bringing the special forces of both the nations on a common platform. The 14 days long exercise which is being carried out in the deserts of Rajasthan engages both the contingents to advance special forces skills such as Sniping, Combat Free Fall, Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Designation, sharing of information on weapons, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques & procedures. The participants would also undertake joint planning and drills for Special Forces operations in a mechanised warfare setting as well as surgical strikes on terrorist camps / hideouts to include sniping of High Value Targets.
The joint exercise would provide an insight into the culture and ethos of both armies thereby fostering military cooperation and interoperability to further strengthen the diplomatic relations between India and Egypt.
From Non-Aligned Movement to being home to one of the oldest civilisations, India and Egypt have a lot of common between them. The exercise coincides with this year’s Republic Day’s celebration which will be joined by Egyptian President Adbel Fattah El-Sisi as the chief guest. Notably, this will be the first time when the President of Arab Republic of Egypt will be the chief guest of India’s Republic Day Parade. Moreover, there can be some military agreement and deals between India and Egypt during President Adbel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to India.
Recently, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat visited to India. His visit reflects Egypts willingness to boost its ties with India in the Information and Technology field, especially in areas related to digital transformation, the electronics industry, building digital capabilities for youth, research and development, and cyber security.
As the two nations strive to enhance their military ties, Covid 19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict already brought the two nations closer together. India and Egypt showed mutual goodwill by helping each other during the tough times.