NEW DELHI: Even as tariff tensions roil ties, India and the United States kicked off their biggest-ever Army exercise, Yudh Abhyas, in Alaska on Monday. Running until September 14, the drills bring together over 450 soldiers of India’s Madras Regiment and US troops from the 5th Infantry Regiment “Bobcats” of the 11th Airborne Division.
The two-week exercise at Fort Wainwright will cover heliborne operations, mountain warfare, drone deployment, surveillance, casualty evacuation, and the integrated use of artillery, aviation, and electronic warfare systems, officials said.
The show of military cooperation comes despite recent strain after President Donald Trump slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods. Defence officials, however, stress that the partnership remains intact. “Though mutual trust has taken a hit, there is too much at stake,” said an Indian official.
Washington has been New Delhi’s largest defence supplier after Russia, with deals worth over $25 billion since 2007. Deliveries of 99 GE-F404 turbofan engines for Tejas Mark-1A jets have begun after delays, while another $1 billion deal for 113 more engines is on the table. India is also set to receive 31 armed MQ-9B Predator drones, worth $3.8 billion, by 2030.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the 29th edition of the Malabar naval exercise in November. First launched as a bilateral drill in 1992, Malabar now includes all four “Quad” partners — India, US, Japan, and Australia — and will be held off Guam in the western Pacific. The exercises are seen as a counter to China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Despite pursuing “strategic autonomy” and maintaining defence ties with Russia and even reopening channels with China, India has steadily expanded its defence engagement with Washington. The Alaska drills, alongside Malabar, underline the growing depth, complexity, and frequency of Indo-US military cooperation — a cornerstone of their strategic partnership.
