Army set to hold first-ever multilateral military drill involving 11 countries from May 18 to 31

The Indian Army is set to host the inaugural edition of Exercise PRAGATI — a first-ever multilateral military exercise — at the Foreign Training Node in Umro...

What Happened

The Indian Army is set to host the inaugural edition of Exercise PRAGATI — a first-ever multilateral military exercise — at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya, from May 18 to May 31, 2026.
The exercise will involve military delegations from 11 friendly countries: Laos, Myanmar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Nepal, Maldives, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bhutan.
All 11 participating nations are from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) or India's immediate and extended neighbourhood, reflecting a deliberate regional security architecture focus.
The exercise aims to strengthen defence cooperation, enhance interoperability among regional armies, and build mutual trust — particularly in domains relevant to emerging warfare technologies.
Key focus areas include unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and countermeasures, autonomous surveillance, robotics (unmanned ground vehicles, robotic mules), AI-based capability enhancement, precision ammunition, electronic warfare, laser warfare, and cyber defence.

Static Topic Bridges

Exercise PRAGATI and Its Strategic Significance

PRAGATI is an acronym for Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region. It is being hosted at the Army's Foreign Training Node (FTN) in Umroi, Meghalaya — a facility specifically designed for international military training and capacity building. The exercise is distinguished from bilateral drills (e.g., Mitra Shakti with Sri Lanka, Shakti with France) by its multilateral, IOR-centric character.

Full name: Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region
Location: Foreign Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya
Dates: May 18–31, 2026
Participants: 11 countries — all from India's neighbourhood or IOR
First ever multilateral exercise of this format hosted by the Indian Army

Connection to this news: PRAGATI marks a strategic shift from bilateral to multilateral military engagement, signalling India's intent to institutionalise leadership in IOR security architecture by bringing together diverse regional partners under a single training umbrella.

India's Neighbourhood First and Act East Policy

India's Neighbourhood First Policy prioritises diplomatic, economic, and security engagement with immediate neighbours (SAARC nations and beyond). The Act East Policy extends this to Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) and the broader Indo-Pacific, forging defence, economic, and cultural ties. Together, these doctrines explain the composition of PRAGATI's participants: Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar (Neighbourhood First); Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (Act East/ASEAN corridor).

Neighbourhood First Policy: encompasses all SAARC and immediate neighbours
Act East Policy: successor to Look East Policy; formal pivot to ASEAN and Indo-Pacific since 2014
Seychelles' inclusion reflects India's extended maritime neighbourhood in the Western IOR
Defence cooperation is operationalised through joint exercises, training, capacity building, and arms transfers

Connection to this news: The participant list of Exercise PRAGATI is a geographic manifestation of both policies, consolidating India's role as a net security provider and preferred partner in the IOR.

Emerging Technologies in Modern Warfare and Military Exercises

Contemporary military exercises increasingly focus on hybrid and technology-intensive warfighting domains. The PRAGATI agenda — covering UAS, autonomous ground robots, AI, electronic warfare, laser systems, and cyber — reflects lessons absorbed from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Gaza theatre, and the proliferation of low-cost drone warfare. Joint training in these domains builds common terminology, interoperability standards, and mutual threat awareness among partner militaries.

UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems): both ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and strike roles
Loitering munitions: affordable precision strike capability reshaping infantry and armoured warfare
AI-enabled command: automating threat recognition, targeting, and logistics
Electronic warfare (EW): jamming, spoofing, and counter-drone systems
Cyber defence: protecting military networks and critical infrastructure

Connection to this news: By making emerging technologies a centrepiece of PRAGATI's curriculum, the Indian Army positions itself as a knowledge-sharing hub, helping partner nations leapfrog to modern warfighting concepts — which deepens long-term strategic dependency and goodwill.

India's Military Diplomacy and the IOR Security Architecture

India's military diplomacy encompasses joint exercises, exchange programmes, defence manufacturing partnerships, and capacity building for smaller IOR states. Key institutional anchors include the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), QUAD (India-US-Australia-Japan), and bilateral frameworks under the Defence Cooperation Agreements. Meghalaya's FTN at Umroi is a dedicated node for hosting foreign military training, providing India with infrastructure to scale such engagements.

India conducts over 80 bilateral and multilateral military exercises annually
QUAD security dialogue covers maritime domain awareness, counter-piracy, and disaster response
India provides OPV and patrol vessels to Maldives, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka
Foreign Training Node (FTN) concept allows scalable, neutral hosting of multinational training

Connection to this news: PRAGATI institutionalises India's multilateral military engagement with the IOR through a dedicated annual format, filling a gap that bilateral exercises cannot address.

Key Facts & Data

Exercise name: PRAGATI (Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region)
Dates: May 18–31, 2026
Location: Foreign Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya
Participants: 11 countries — Laos, Myanmar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Nepal, Maldives, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bhutan
First-ever multilateral military exercise of this type hosted by the Indian Army
Focus domains: UAS, counter-drone, autonomous robotics, AI, precision ammunition, EW, laser warfare, cyber defence
Reflects both Neighbourhood First Policy and Act East Policy frameworks