Africa-India field training exercise, AFINDEX-23 to be held in Pune, India

Africa-India field training exercise, AFINDEX-23 to be held in Pune, India

The second edition of Africa-India Field Training Exercise, (AFINDEX-2023) will be held from March 21-30 in Pune. The chief aim of the exercise is to enable the participating contingents to hone their tactical skills, drills and procedures in joint operations for peacekeeping under UN mandate, create synergy and better understanding with armies of African nations and promote Indian defence Industries.

The 10-day long exercise will commence with an opening ceremony at Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune. A comprehensive validation exercise on the theme “Humanitarian Mine Actions and Peace Keeping Operations” under the UN mandate is also scheduled.

The Joint exercise will promote the idea of “Africa-India Militaries for Regional Unity (AMRUT)” and will focus on incorporating the current dynamics of UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKF) through practical and comprehensive discussions and tactical exercise. The first AFINDEX was held in Pune in March 2019 which saw the participation of 20 African nations. In 2020, the India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave was held on the sidelines of the DEFEXPO in Lucknow.

India-Africa Chiefs Conclave in Pune

The India-Africa Chiefs Conclave will be held at Hotel JW Marriot on March 28. The conclave will include talks by renowned speakers on the issue of India-Africa Defence partnership and India Defence Industry potential and contribution towards regional security.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest. The participating nations will also be given an exposure to the Indian defence Industry and the ongoing impetus under various mechanism like “Make in India” and “Aatmnirbhar Bharat”. Visit and interaction with various Defence production , Industries and African representatives is also planned during the conclave.

The broad theme of the dialogue is ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.