The 16th edition of the India-US Joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR will be conducted at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from 24 February to 16 March 2026. The US Army contingent has arrived in India to participate. The Indian Army contingent comprises 45 personnel represented by Special Forces units, while the United States will be represented by 12 personnel from the Green Berets of the US Special Forces. The previous edition was held in November 2024 at the Orchard Combat Training Centre in Idaho, USA. The exercise aims to promote military cooperation, interoperability, jointness, and mutual exchange of special operations tactics to strengthen capabilities for joint Special Forces operations in mountainous terrain. Training will focus on physical conditioning, joint mission planning, and joint tactical drills, with troops sharing best practices. The exercise is expected to deepen interoperability and mutual trust, reinforcing the defense partnership between India and the United States. The information was posted on 24 FEB 2026 at 6:08 PM by PIB Delhi. The release ID is 2232288 and the visitor counter is 564.
Key Entities Referenced
VAJRA PRAHAR: India-US Joint Special Forces Exercise aimed at promoting military cooperation and enhancing interoperability.
Himachal Pradesh: Location in India where the 16th edition of the VAJRA PRAHAR exercise is conducted.
United States: Country participating in the joint military exercise with India.
Ministry of Defence: Indian ministry that likely oversees the Indian contingent participating in the exercise.
Ministry of Defence
INDIA-US JOINT SPECIAL FORCES EXERCISE
VAJRA PRAHAR TO BE CONDUCTED IN
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Posted On: 24 FEB 2026 6:08PM by PIB Delhi
The US Army contingent has arrived in India to participate in the 16th edition of the India-US Joint
Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR, scheduled to be conducted at the Special Forces Training
School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from 24 February to 16 March 2026. The previous edition of the
exercise was held at the Orchard Combat Training Centre in Idaho, USA in November 2024.
The Indian Army contingent, represented by Special Forces units, comprises 45 personnel, while the
United States will be represented by 12 personnel from the Green Berets of the US Special Forces.
The aim of Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR is to promote military cooperation between India and the United
States through enhanced interoperability, jointness and mutual exchange of special operations tactics. The
exercise is designed to strengthen combined capabilities for conducting joint Special Forces operations in
mountainous terrain.
The training will focus on a high degree of physical conditioning, joint mission planning and the execution
of joint tactical drills. Participating troops will share best practices and operational experiences in areas
such as joint mission planning and special operations tactics, techniques and procedures.
The exercise is expected to further deepen interoperability, mutual trust and professional camaraderie
between the Special Forces of both nations, reinforcing the growing defence partnership between India
and the United States.
****
NA/PK(Release ID: 2232288) Visitor Counter : 564
Read this release in: Urdu , ही , Tamil