The inaugural edition of the Indo-Egypt bilateral training exercise ‘Cyclone-1’ culminated in Rajasthan on Friday after intense validation training.
Aimed at sharing best practices among the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Armed Forces, Exercise Cyclone-1 was the first of its kind military exercise between the two nations. The exercise was kicked off on January 14 in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and came amid bids to bolster defence ties between India and Egypt.
Exercise Cyclone-1 carried underlying objectives of exchanging professional skills between the special forces elements of both nations and enhancing the scope of interoperability between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Armed Forces, especially in desert terrain. The focus of the training was laid on bolstering defence cooperation while undertaking counter-terrorism operations. Raids, reconnaissance, and other special operations were also practised under the 14-day-long exercise.
Detailed training program of Ex Cyclone-1
The exercise was conducted in Rajasthan’s desert terrain and engaged the special forces elements of both nations in advanced skills such as Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Designation, Sniping and Combat Free Fall. Information on equipment, weapons, innovations, tactics, procedures and techniques was also exchanged during Exercise Cyclone-1.
Furthermore, both SF elements undertook drills and joint planning for the conduct of Special Forces operations in a mechanized warfare setting. One significant aspect of the exercise was the joint training between the two SF elements in undertaking surgical strikes on terrorist camps and hideouts, including sniping High-Value Targets (HVTs).
India-Egypt ties and defence cooperation
Two of the world’s oldest civilizations, India and Egypt have historically enjoyed close contact since ancient times. Egypt is a pivotal nation in the Middle East with a population of around 110 million. Furthermore, the nation’s location straddles Africa and Asia, and its capital hosts the League of Arab States.
Notably, India and Egypt share an exceptionally close relationship and were also co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the 1950s amid the Cold War. During India’s 74th Republic Day, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was invited to attend the parade as the chief guest. Furthermore, he is the first Egyptian premier to have been invited to the Republic Day celebrations, signifying the growing India-Egypt relations.
Meanwhile, Egypt further extended an invitation to India to participate in the Egyptian Armed Forces exercise called Brightstar. The Egyptian delegation also considered the possibility of allocation of a special area for Indian industries in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ) and invited India to arrange for the master plan.