India and the United Arab Emirates have begun a new joint military exercise in Uttarakhand focused on mountain warfare and high-altitude operational skills.
Named Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026, the exercise began at the Foreign Training Node in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, and is scheduled to continue from October 5 to October 18.
A total of 92 military personnel, equally divided between the two countries, are participating.
The Indian contingent consists of personnel from a Bhairav Battalion, while the UAE contingent comes from a Mountain Infantry Battalion.
The exercise is designed to improve interoperability between the two armies while allowing troops to exchange operational experience and tactics.
The training programme includes joint planning, tactical drills, firing practices, surveillance operations, drone operations, physical endurance training, rock climbing, obstacle training and integrated field exercises. Technology-enabled operations are also part of the programme.
An important feature of the exercise is the participation of women officers and combatants from both armies in specialist roles.
Mountain warfare requires specialised skills because soldiers must operate in difficult terrain, rapidly changing weather conditions and environments where conventional military movement can be extremely challenging.
For India, exercises of this kind are particularly relevant because of the country’s extensive mountainous borders and the increasing importance of technology, drones and surveillance in high-altitude military operations.
For the UAE, the exercise provides an opportunity to gain experience from India’s long operational familiarity with mountainous environments.
The exercise also reflects the broader expansion of India-UAE defence cooperation. While the two countries have traditionally maintained strong economic and diplomatic ties, defence and security cooperation has increasingly become another important component of the relationship.
Joint exercises help both militaries develop common procedures and understand how the other force operates.
The inclusion of drone operations is particularly notable because unmanned systems are rapidly becoming an important component of modern battlefield surveillance and tactical operations.
The exercise is therefore not limited to traditional mountain combat skills. It combines physical training, tactical manoeuvres and technology-driven military operations.
