Pune: The third edition of a joint military exercise between India and Australia, ‘Austrahind-III', began at the Aundh military station on Friday, even as the participants recalled a history of various other joint campaigns between the two nations during World Wars I and II. The latest two-week exercise aims to strengthen the long-standing military partnership by sharing tactics, techniques and technology to achieve common security goals and bilateral relations. Troops of both countries will participate in combat team-level training in a conventional warfighting environment.
They will be cross-trained on each other's weapons systems, exposed to counter IED technologies, observe canine operations, and receive combat medical training. Indian contingent commander Brigadier Sanjeev Saharan of the Indian Army said, "Our nations share a proud history of cooperation, dating back to the World Wars, when Indian and Australian soldiers stood together on the battlefield far from their homelands. Whether it was in Gallipoli (Turkey), the Middle East, or Europe, our troops fought with unmatched bravery and camaraderie, forging bonds of mutual respect and trust that endure to this day.
" Australian contingent commander Brigadier Amanda Williamson said, "This exercise is reflective of a deep historical partnership between two nations that reaches back to WWI, when Indian troops shared the brutal experience of the Gallipoli campaign with Australian forces. In WWII, this partnership deepened.