Exercise Trishul: Indian military showcases tri-service prowess, synergy off Guj coast

Porbandar (Gujarat), Nov 13 (PTI) For nearly an hour, the Army, Navy and the Air Force jointly dominated the sky, land and the sea facing a stretch off the Saurashtra Coast here on Thursday, as they took part in an amphibious exercise showcasing military prowess and tri-services synergy.

Codenamed Amphex 2025, the exercise featured beach landing of T-72 tanks and assault troops, fighter aircraft Jaguar and Su-30 MKIs showcasing air power, while several naval warships stood over the horizon, symbolising their role as guardians of the seas.

It also marked the culmination of the nearly two-week-long tri-services Exercise Trishul, led by the Indian Navy.

From the Thar desert to the Kutch region, the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been taking part in a series of sub-exercises in this period under the overarching framework of Exercise Trishul.

It also focused on the "refinement of procedures and techniques tailored to address emerging threats and the evolving character of contemporary and future warfare”, according to the Navy.

Amphex, conducted on the Madhavpur Beach in Gujarat's Porbandar, was witnessed by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth; Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, Vice-Admiral Krishna Swaminathan; and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Air Command, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor.

Shortly before the exercise began, the three commanders interacted with the press and asserted that Exercise Trishul has set new benchmarks in jointness and interoperability and “we go back much stronger out of it”.

New weapons, military equipment and procedures were tested, and the exercise validated them, Lt Gen Seth told reporters.

“We are ready to face all future challenges,” the GOC-in-C of the Southern Command said.

Vice Admiral Swaminathan said that about 30,000 Army troops, multiple fighter aircraft, and nearly 25 ships and submarines of the Navy took part in the exercise.

“We've practised battle manoeuvres, including with a Carrier Battle Group. Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was part of it,” he said.

The three commanders witnessed an operational demonstration of “carrier-borne flying operations and underway replenishment last night”, a senior official said.

Four Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM), each carrying a tank and troops, and Landing Craft Utility (LCU), and Navy's key amphibious platform INS Jalashwa at sea were part of Amphex.

Elite special forces units, MARCOS of the Navy and Garud commandos of the IAF, displayed their combat skills in a land-sea-air integration to dominate the enemies, depicted on the beach through six bunkers.

The Navy's air dominance fighter aircraft MiG-29K added to the military prowess showcased and the jointness, integration and interoperability demonstrated, while INS Surat and other warships over the horizon projected India's maritime power.

The exercise also featured drone and counter-drone systems in action, and how they can target the enemy.

The major focus of the exercise was to enhance synergy among the armed forces, and validate and synchronise multi-domain integrated operational procedures across the three services, enabling joint effect-based operations, a senior official said.

Its key objectives included enhancing interoperability of platforms and infrastructure, strengthening the integration of networks across services, and advancing jointness in operations.

Exercise Trishul also validated joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) procedures, electronic warfare (EW), and cyber warfare plans.

It included Indian Navy carrier operations conducted jointly with shore-based assets of the IAF to facilitate exchange of best practices and validation of joint SOPs for air operations.

Exercise Trishul also highlighted the effective employment of indigenous systems and absorption of the tenets of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

In the Thar desert, Southern Command formations had undertaken intense integrated manoeuvres through exercises 'MaruJwala' and 'Akhand Prahaar' to validate combined arms operations, mobility, and joint fire integration under realistic conditions.

A joint exercise in the Kutch sector, involving the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and BSF, has rehearsed integrated operational capability in close coordination with the civil administration, reflecting the military-civil fusion approach to integrated national security, officials said. PTI KND ARI ARI