The Hindu : India, U.S. plan bigger manoeuvres in Alaska

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 17, 2002

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India, U.S. plan bigger manoeuvres in Alaska

By Sandeep Dikshit

Indian and U.S. soldiers at a joint exercise in Agra on Thursday. — Reuters

AGRA MAY 16. Building on the success of the joint military exercise by their elite forces, Indian and U.S. armed forces are now setting their sights on much larger manoeuvres in India and Alaska later this year.

``The current exercise `Balance Iroquois' is a result of the new focus to exchange expertise between the two armed forces. It covers two very important aspects of military cooperation — aspects of inter-operability and joint operations.''

Journalists saw the relatively noise-free C-130 ``Hercules'' of the U.S. Air Force and the IAF's formidable IL-76 take turns to drop paratroopers of both sides on a small landing zone from heights of 1,000 feet and lower.

Indian paratroopers took to the Hercules C-130 while the American special forces hitched rides on the Indian IL-76. They also exchanged equipment — U.S. Army paratroopers donned Indian parachutes and the Indians exited from the Hercules with American parachutes.

The pilots too took turns to familiarise themselves with the controls of American and Russian aircraft, respectively. As many special forces troopers from both sides confessed, this was their first opportunity to witness procedures and equipment not accessible to them due to the cold war.

By the time the exercises conclude towards the end of the month, the para-troopers would have conducted low-level operations — an American speciality — in paradropping airborne forces and heavy equipment both during day and night. ``This exercise is to exchange mutual expertise in special operations and airborne assaults. Based on this exercise more interaction is sure to take place in the near future,'' said Group Captain V. K. Singh, commander of the para-training school. ``We have crossed the initial phase well. The next phase would include live firepower war manoeuvres simulating actual battlefield conditions,'' said Lt. Col. G. S. Butterburugh of the U.S. Air Force.

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