Indian Army contingent participate in the ongoing 21st edition of the multinational joint military exercise Khaan Quest 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI

An Indian contingent is part of the 21st edition of Khaan Quest, a multinational peacekeeping exercise, which commenced in Mongolia on July 27 with an opening ceremony held at the Five Hills Training Area in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The Indian Army contingent includes 40 personnel from a Battalion of the Madras Regiment, along with others.

The exercise has around 430 participants from 23 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Türkiye, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

“On 27 July, Ambassador Atul Malhari Gotsurve participated in the inaugural ceremony of the 21st multinational military Exercise Khaan Quest-2024. He welcomed Indian troops from Madras Regiment to Mongolia and conveyed his best wishes for the exercise,” the Indian Embassy in Mongolia said in a post on X.

Peacekeeping preparations

The Indian contingent departed on July 25 for the exercise, which is scheduled to run from July 27 to August 9. One woman officer and two women soldiers are also part of the contingent. “Aim of Exercise Khaan Quest is to prepare Indian armed forces for peacekeeping missions while operating in a multinational environment, thereby increasing interoperability and military readiness in peace support operations under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter. The exercise will focus on high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills,” the Army said in a statement issued as the contingent departed.

Tactical drills to be practised during the exercise will include the establishment of static and mobile check points, cordon and search operations, patrolling, evacuation of civilians from hostile area, counter improvised explosive device drills, combat first aid, and casualty evacuation, the Army said.

The exercise started as a bilateral event between the U.S. and Mongolian armed forces in 2003 and graduated to a multinational peacekeeping exercise from 2006 onwards. The exercise will facilitate developing inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of the participating countries and also sharing of their best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures for the conduct of joint operations, the statement added.