India’s Key Defence Exercises & Military Commands

India’s Key Defence Exercises & Military Commands

RRB Railway, SSC, UPSC / By

India’s Key Defence Exercises & Military Commands: Static GK + Current Affairs for SSC GD, RRB, UPSC

Best for: SSC GD + RRB + UPSC (Prelims + GS-3 Security)

Defence exercises and military commands are among the most frequently asked topics in competitive exams. This is because questions from this area are:

  • Highly factual and scoring
  • Repeated across years
  • Relevant for national security and international relations
  • Common in SSC GD, CAPF, RRB, and UPSC Prelims

In the last few years, defence-related current affairs have increased due to:

  • Border tensions and joint drills
  • Growing defence diplomacy
  • Modernisation of armed forces
  • New commands and theatre command discussions
  • Defence exports and indigenous production

This article covers both static facts and current relevance in a clear, exam-focused manner.

1. Why Defence Exercises and Commands Are Important for Exams

In SSC GD and CAPF

Questions are mostly direct:

  • Exercise name and participating countries
  • Indian Army/Navy/Air Force commands
  • Headquarters and commanders
  • Important military operations

In RRB Exams

Questions appear mainly in:

  • General Awareness
  • Static GK
  • Current affairs one-liners

In UPSC

Questions are asked in:

  • Prelims (match the following, countries, places)
  • Mains GS-3 (internal security, border management)
  • GS-2 (international relations, defence cooperation)

2. Types of Defence Exercises (Exam Classification)

Defence exercises can be grouped into:

A) Bilateral Exercises

Between India and one other country.

B) Multilateral Exercises

Between India and multiple countries.

C) Tri-Service Exercises

Involving Army + Navy + Air Force together.

D) Service-Specific Exercises

Army-only, Navy-only, Air Force-only.

3. India’s Most Important Defence Exercises (Country-Wise)

Below are the most important exercises that are repeatedly asked.

3.1 India–USA Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Yudh Abhyas (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Countries: India and USA
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism, mountain warfare, joint battle drills

2) Exercise Vajra Prahar (Special Forces)

  • Type: Army Special Forces
  • Focus: Counter-terror operations and special missions

3) Exercise Cope India (Air Force)

  • Type: Air Force
  • Focus: Air combat training, tactical operations

4) Exercise Malabar (Naval)

  • Type: Naval
  • Members: India, USA, Japan, Australia (Quad)
  • Focus: Maritime security, anti-submarine warfare

Exam Note:
Malabar is one of the most asked naval exercises.

3.2 India–Russia Defence Exercises

1) Exercise INDRA (Tri-Service)

  • Type: Tri-Service
  • Focus: Joint operations (Army, Navy, Air Force)

2) Exercise Avia Indra (Air Force)

  • Type: Air Force
  • Focus: Fighter aircraft coordination

3.3 India–Japan Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Dharma Guardian (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism, jungle warfare

2) Exercise JIMEX (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Maritime operations and cooperation

3) Exercise Veer Guardian (Air Force)

  • Type: Air Force
  • Focus: Fighter aircraft drills, interoperability

3.4 India–Australia Defence Exercises

1) Exercise AUSINDEX (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Maritime security, joint sea drills

2) Exercise Pitch Black (Air Force)

  • Type: Multilateral Air Exercise
  • India participates with IAF
  • Hosted by: Australia

3.5 India–France Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Varuna (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Sea warfare drills, joint patrolling

2) Exercise Shakti (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism, joint operations

3) Exercise Garuda (Air Force)

  • Type: Air Force
  • Focus: Fighter training, air superiority drills

3.6 India–UK Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Ajeya Warrior (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-insurgency, peacekeeping drills

2) Exercise Konkan (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Maritime cooperation

3.7 India–Singapore Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Bold Kurukshetra (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Mechanised warfare, battlefield drills

2) Exercise SIMBEX (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Naval operations and maritime security

3.8 India–UAE Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Desert Cyclone (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Desert warfare, counter-terrorism

2) Exercise Desert Flag (Air Force)

  • Type: Multilateral Air Exercise
  • Hosted by: UAE
  • India participates with IAF

3.9 India–Bangladesh Defence Exercises

1) Exercise Sampriti (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism and joint training

3.10 India–Nepal Defence Exercise

1) Exercise Surya Kiran (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Mountain warfare, disaster response

3.11 India–Sri Lanka Defence Exercise

1) Exercise Mitra Shakti (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-insurgency, joint operations

2) Exercise SLINEX (Navy)

  • Type: Naval
  • Focus: Maritime cooperation

3.12 India–Thailand Defence Exercise

1) Exercise Maitree (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism operations

3.13 India–China Defence Exercise (Rare/Important)

1) Exercise Hand-in-Hand (Army)

  • Type: Army
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism
  • Note: Conducted occasionally, depending on relations

4. Major Multilateral Defence Exercises Involving India

These are extremely important for UPSC and SSC GD.

4.1 Exercise Malabar

  • Type: Naval
  • Members: India, USA, Japan, Australia
  • Focus: Indo-Pacific maritime security

4.2 Exercise RIMPAC

  • Type: Multilateral Naval
  • Hosted by: USA
  • Location: Pacific Ocean
  • India participates as invited nation

4.3 Exercise Milan

  • Type: Multilateral Naval Exercise hosted by India
  • Conducted by: Indian Navy
  • Focus: Maritime cooperation and friendly navies

4.4 Exercise Cobra Gold

  • Type: Multilateral
  • Hosted by: Thailand
  • India participates sometimes

4.5 Exercise Red Flag

  • Type: Advanced air combat exercise
  • Hosted by: USA
  • India participates (important for IAF)

5. India’s Military Commands (Most Asked Static GK)

This section is extremely important for SSC GD, RRB, and UPSC Prelims.

5.1 Indian Army Commands (7 Commands)

Command Headquarters
Northern Command Udhampur
Western Command Chandimandir
Eastern Command Kolkata
Southern Command Pune
Central Command Lucknow
South Western Command Jaipur
Army Training Command (ARTRAC) Shimla

Exam Tip:The 
Army has 6 operational commands + 1 training command.

5.2 Indian Air Force Commands (7 Commands)

Command Headquarters
Western Air Command New Delhi
Eastern Air Command Shillong
Central Air Command Prayagraj
Southern Air Command Thiruvananthapuram
South Western Air Command Gandhinagar
Maintenance Command Nagpur
Training Command Bengaluru

5.3 Indian Navy Commands (3 Commands)

Command Headquarters
Western Naval Command Mumbai
Eastern Naval Command Visakhapatnam
Southern Naval Command Kochi

5.4 Joint / Strategic Commands (Very Important)

1) Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)

  • India’s first and only tri-service theatre command
  • Location: Port Blair
  • Strategic importance: Indian Ocean region

2) Strategic Forces Command (SFC)

  • Controls India’s nuclear forces
  • Works under the Nuclear Command Authority

6. Important Current Developments (Static + Current Angle)

Competitive exams often ask defence topics in a combined way. For example:

  • Exercises linked to Quad or Indo-Pacific
  • India’s increasing defence cooperation
  • New indigenous defence systems
  • Theatre command discussions
  • Defence exports and joint manufacturing

So while static facts are important, you must also understand why these exercises matter.

7. How to Prepare This Topic Smartly (Exam Strategy)

Step 1: Make a One-Page Exercise List

Write:

  • Exercise name
  • Countries
  • Type (Army/Navy/Air Force)

Step 2: Revise Commands in Table Form

Commands are best revised using tables.

Step 3: Solve MCQs Weekly

This is the most scoring way.

Step 4: Track 6-Month Defence Current Affairs

Most questions come from the past 6–12 months.

8. Common Mistakes Aspirants Make

Mistake 1: Learning only exercise names

You must also learn:

  • participating country
  • type of exercise

Mistake 2: Confusing Navy vs Air Force exercises

For example:

  • Garuda (Air Force, France)

  • Varuna (Navy, France)

Mistake 3: Not revising commands

Commands are static and repeated.

Mistake 4: Ignoring multilateral exercises

UPSC asks about multilateral exercises frequently.

9. Subtle Sponsored Note (Student-Friendly)

Many aspirants preparing for SSC GD, RRB, and UPSC find defence topics difficult because of too many names and facts. Coaching institutes that provide:

  • short notes
  • monthly CA capsules
  • PYQ-based GK teaching
  • quick revision charts
  • MCQ practice

make such topics easier.

Institutes like The Prayas India are often preferred by students because they focus on exam-oriented GK preparation, structured revision, and regular practice tests, which is helpful for SSC and RRB aspirants.

Conclusion

India’s defence exercises and military commands are high-scoring topics for SSC GD, RRB, and UPSC. This area is factual, repeatable, and easy to master if you revise it smartly.

Aspirants should focus on:

  • top bilateral exercises (USA, France, Russia, Japan, Australia)
  • major multilateral exercises (Malabar, Milan, RIMPAC)
  • Army, Navy, Air Force command headquarters
  • special commands like ANC and SFC

With short notes, tables, and MCQ practice, this topic becomes a sure-shot scoring area.

FAQs

Q1. Which defence exercise is most important for exams?

Exercise Malabar is the most asked naval exercise. For Army, Yudh Abhyas and Surya Kiran are commonly asked.

Q2. How many commands are there in the Indian Army?

Indian Army has 7 commands: 6 operational and 1 training command (ARTRAC).

Q3. What is the headquarters of the Andaman and Nicobar Command?

The headquarters of the Andaman and Nicobar Command is Port Blair.

Q4. Which exercise is conducted between India and France?

India and France conduct Varuna (Navy), Shakti (Army), and Garuda (Air Force).

Q5. What is the difference between Milan and Malabar?

Milan is a multilateral naval exercise hosted by India. Malabar is a Quad naval exercise involving India, USA, Japan, and Australia.