The 21st edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas, the premier annual Army exercise between India and the United States, began on September 1, 2025, at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and will run through September 14.

According to a statement from the Indian Embassy, the Indian Army contingent, comprising 450 personnel led by a battalion of the Madras Regiment, arrived in Fairbanks on August 31. They are training alongside U.S. soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment (“Bobcats”), part of the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Arctic Wolves), 11th Airborne Division.

The 2025 edition marks one of the largest bilateral military exercises for the Indian Army in terms of troop participation. This year’s focus includes:

• Mountain and high-altitude operations under sub-arctic conditions
• Heliborne and air-mobility integration, supported by artillery and aviation assets
• Electronic warfare, surveillance, and counter-drone systems
• Medical evacuation and combat casualty care in field conditions
• Live-fire tactical drills to validate seamless interoperability

Since its inception in 2002 as a platoon-level engagement, Yudh Abhyas has significantly expanded in both scope and participation. Previous editions have covered diverse terrains, including high-altitude warfare in India’s Auli and Chaubattia, desert operations in Rajasthan, and urban and cold-weather training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Alaska, according to the statement. 

“Today, Yudh Abhyas stands as a flagship, high-complexity Army-to-Army exercise. It has become one of the cornerstones of India US military cooperation. India conducts more military exercises with the US than with any other country,” the statement noted.

The Embassy added that exercises such as Yudh Abhyas, Malabar, COPE India, Vajra Prahar, and Tiger Triumph “are central to building interoperability and forging mutual trust. It demonstrates how our two democracies continue to work towards peace, security and prosperity, including in the Indo-Pacific region.”

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